Vincenzo Prete (University of Palermo)
Antonella Anzelmo and Giulia Montresor
We study the relationship between sulphur mining activity and human capital in nineteenth-century Sicily. Cross-sectional and panel fixed-effect estimates show a negative association between sulphur mining activity and primary school enrolment. The implementation of the Coppino law in 1877, which extended compulsory education and introduced fines for non-compliance is associated with higher school enrolment but differentially lower in sulphur-rich municipalities.