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American Economic Review Vol. 101 No. 3 2011

The War at Home: Effects of Vietnam-Era Military Service on Postwar Household Stability

Dalton Conley1; Jennifer A. Heerwig2

1 6 Washington Square North, Room 20, New York, NY 10003. · 2 Department of Sociology, New York University, 295 Lafayette St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012.

Abstract

Prior researchers have deployed the Vietnam-era draft lottery as an instrument to estimate causal effects of military service on health and earnings. However, household and residential outcomes may be more sensitive to the psychological effects of military service. Using 2SLS analyses of the 2000 Census and the 2005 American Community Survey, we find mixed results for residential stability, housing tenure, and extended family residence. While in the ACS white veterans are less mobile, veteran status has no effect on homeownership. Veteran status reduces extended family living for whites in the Census but increases it for ACS veterans of “other” races.

DOI
10.1257/aer.101.3.350
Volume
101
Issue
3
Pages
350-354
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib crossref openalex

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