This paper contributes to the understanding of the long-run consequences of Roman rule on economic development. In ancient times, the area of contemporary Germany was divided into a Roman and a non-Roman part. The study uses this division to test whether the formerly Roman part of Germany are more developed than the non-Roman part. This is done using the Limes Germanicus wall as geographical discontinuity in a regression discontinuity design framework. The results indicate that economic development—as measured by luminosity—is indeed significantly and robustly larger in the formerly Roman part of Germany. The study identifies the persistence of the Roman road network until the present as an important factor causing this developmental advantage of the formerly Roman part of Germany both by fostering city growth and by allowing for a denser road network.

中文翻译：

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欧洲的发展是否源于罗马？来自德国石灰的证据

本文有助于理解罗马统治对经济发展的长期后果。在远古时代，当代德国地区被划分为罗马和非罗马地区。该研究使用该部门来检验德国以前的罗马地区是否比非罗马地区更发达。这是通过在回归不连续性设计框架中使用Limes Germanicus墙作为地理不连续性来完成的。结果表明，以光度衡量的经济发展确实在德国前罗马地区显着且稳健地增长。