Profiles of Leading Women Scientists on AcademiaNet.
Search among the members of the Leopoldina for experts in specific fields or research topics.
Year of election: | 2013 |
Section: | Economics and Empirical Social Sciences |
City: | Munich |
Country: | Germany |
Ludger Woessmann performs empirical research on the causes of educational achievement and its consequences for individual and societal prosperity. His research shows that the educational achievement of the population is a key determinant of modern long-run economic growth.
Using historical Prussian data, he showed that the economic lead of Protestant areas over Catholic areas was due to better education, spurred by Luther’s call for Bible reading, rather than due to a specific Protestant work ethic. A further research focus is on microeconometric analyses of efficiency and equity in the school system using international student achievement tests.