Birth Rates and the Vietnam Draft

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2012
Volume: 102
Issue: 3
Pages: 566-69

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The Vietnam conflict was the defining event for a generation, with nearly 8 million Americans serving in the armed forces. A large literature in economics has focused on effects of Vietnam-Era service post-war, while little research looks at contemporaneous effects of the mobilization, despite the potential for this mobilization to change marriage markets for particular cohorts. We use exogenous variation across states and over time in men drafted per 100 men 19-25 to look at the effects of the wartime mobilization on birth rates. We find robust evidence that higher rates of inducted men led to significantly lower birth rates.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:102:y:2012:i:3:p:566-69
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24