We study how more negative historical exposure to the actions of nation-states—like war, occupation, and repression—affects the formation of regional identity. The quasi-exogenous division of the French regions Alsace and Lorraine allows us to implement a geographical regression discontinuity design at the municipal level. Using measures of stated and revealed preferences, we find that more negative experiences with nation-states are associated with a stronger regional identity in the short, medium, and long run. This is linked to preferences for more regional decision-making. Establishing regional organizations seems to be a key mechanism to maintaining and strengthening regional identity. (JEL H77, N43, N44, N93, N94, Z13)

中文翻译：

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共同身份的起源：来自阿尔萨斯-洛林的证据

我们研究了对民族国家行为（如战争、占领和镇压）的更多负面历史暴露如何影响区域认同的形成。法国地区阿尔萨斯和洛林的准外生划分使我们能够在市政层面实施地理回归不连续性设计。通过对陈述和显示偏好的测量，我们发现，在短期、中期和长期，对民族国家的负面体验与更强的区域认同有关。这与更多区域决策的偏好有关。建立区域组织似乎是维护和加强区域认同的关键机制。(JEL H77、N43、N44、N93、N94、Z13)