Discrimination, Migration, and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from World War I

A-Tier
Journal: Review of Economics and Statistics
Year: 2024
Volume: 106
Issue: 5
Pages: 1201-1219

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

This paper examines the individual and aggregate costs of ethnic discrimination. Studying Germans in the United States during World War I, an event that abruptly downgraded their previously high social standing, we show that anti-German sentiment was strongly associated with counties’ casualties in the war, leading to subsequent outmigration of Germans. Such relocation to evade discrimination was costly for German workers. However, counties with larger outflows of Germans, who tended to be well-trained manufacturing workers, incurred economic costs too, including a drop in average annual manufacturing wages of 0.6% to 2.2%. This effect lasted at least until 1930.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:tpr:restat:v:106:y:2024:i:5:p:1201-1219
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25