Adopting a New Religion: The Case of Protestantism in 16th Century Germany
利用16世纪神圣罗马帝国领土和城市的数据集，研究新教作为国教被采纳和传播的决定因素，发现距离马丁·路德所在城市维滕贝格的远近是关键因素，支持战略邻里互动理论。
Abstract Using a dataset of territories and cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the sixteenth century, this article investigates the determinants of adoption and diffusion of Protestantism as a state religion. A territory’s distance to Wittenberg, the city where Martin Luther taught, is a major determinant of adoption. This finding is consistent with a theory of strategic neighbourhood interactions: introducing the Reformation was a risky enterprise for territorial lords and had higher prospects of success if powerful neighbouring states committed to the new faith. The actual spatial and temporal patterns of expansion of Protestantism are analysed in a panel dataset.