The Slow Road from Serfdom: Labor Coercion and Long-Run Development in the Former Russian Empire
研究1861年废除农奴制前劳动强制强度对当代家庭支出的影响，发现农奴制强度每增加一个标准差（25个百分点），当前家庭支出降低17%，并通过城市人口数据（1800-2002年）揭示其长期持续性。
This paper examines the long-run economic consequences of Russian serfdom. Employing data on the intensity of labor coercion just prior to emancipation in 1861, we document that a 25 percentage point increase in historical serfdom (1 SD) reduces household expenditure today by up to 17%. We then provide evidence on the persistence of this relationship by studying city populations over the period 1800 to 2002. Exploring mechanisms, our findings suggest that less urban agglomeration and slower industrial development in areas with a greater degree of serfdom perpetuated the negative effects of forced labor before, during, and after the Soviet period.