urbanerds

The construction of these opera houses predates the rise of the well-paid, skilled workers and bourgeoisie who powered later economic growth. For these reasons, the location of these Baroque opera houses provides an intriguing “natural experiment” because they can be considered as “exogenous to the distribution of high human capital employees that originates from the period of and after the Industrial Revolution.” (via The Opera House Effect - Arts & Lifestyle - The Atlantic Cities)