Safeguarding even small civic spaces can be crucial for strengthening democracy in the long run
Democracy and freedom of expression are vital foundations for a vibrant civil society and the accumulation of social capital. In contrast, authoritarian regimes often suppress civic engagement, eroding the shared norms and trust that bind communities together. This negative impact is clearly reflected in the persistently lower levels of social capital observed in many former Soviet satellite states compared to Western democracies.
Understanding how civic culture may persist or even emerge under authoritarian constraints is critical for developing strategies to foster social capital in repressive contexts.
In a recent IZA Discussion Paper, we explore this question through a unique historical episode in post–World War II Czechoslovakia. Between 1945 and 1948, the Sudetenland experienced a massive demographic upheaval: nearly three million ethnic Germans were expelled, and close to two million new settlers took their place. This process destroyed existing social structures. After 1948, the newly installed communist regime tightened its grip on civil society, banning the construction of new churches and placing religious institutions under state control.
To examine the long-term determinants of social capital in this context, we combine digitized census data from 1930 to 2011 with detailed archival records on church construction (1945–1989) and a range of local-level indicators of social capital.
Focusing on municipalities that were almost entirely depopulated, where more than 90% of the population had been German speakers before the expulsions, we find that communities with a church built before 1945 developed significantly higher levels of social capital during the communist period. Remarkably, this effect persisted long after the fall of the regime, into the present day.
To rule out the possibility that settlers deliberately chose to live in church-hosting municipalities, and to better understand the mechanisms behind the observed effects, we manually compiled new data on the residence patterns of parish priests. These new data reveal a strong link between the long-term presence of a resident pastor during the communist era and the emergence of vibrant civic life after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. This suggests a cumulative dynamic: even under surveillance and repression, continued religious activity laid the groundwork for post-authoritarian civic engagement.
In settings where civil society has been dismantled, where authoritarianism stifles collective organization, and where communities are rebuilt from scratch, even limited forms of social interaction, such as those enabled by religious institutions, can play a crucial role in reconstructing civic life.
These findings hold important lessons for societies today grappling with war, forced migration, or democratic backsliding, from the post-Soviet periphery to hybrid regimes like those in Hungary or Russia. In such contexts, protecting even modest civic spaces may prove essential for nurturing democratic resilience over time.
© Stepan Mikula, Tommaso G. Reggiani, and Fabio Sabatini
Stepan Mikula is Associate Professor at the Department of Economics at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, and IZA Research Affiliate
Tommaso G. Reggiani is Associate Professor (Reader) in Economics at Cardiff University-Cardiff Business School, UK, and IZA Research Fellow
Fabio Sabatini is Professor of Economics at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and IZA Research Fellow
Please note:
We recognize that IZA World of Labor articles may prompt discussion and possibly controversy. Opinion pieces, such as the one above, capture ideas and debates concisely, and anchor them with real-world examples. Opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of the IZA.
Related IZA World of Labor content:
https://wol.iza.org/articles/does-religiosity-explain-economic-outcomes by Olga Popova
https://wol.iza.org/articles/the-rise-of-secularism-and-its-economic-consequences by Fernando A. Lozano
https://wol.iza.org/articles/is-post-communist-transition-over by Elodie Douarin and Tomasz Mickiewicz
Foto by Alin Gavriliuc on Unsplash