Above and beyond the call. Long-term real earnings effects of British male military conscription in the post-war years

Citation

Grenet J, Hart RA & Roberts JE (2010) Above and beyond the call. Long-term real earnings effects of British male military conscription in the post-war years. Stirling Economics Discussion Paper, 2010-08.

Abstract
We add to the literature on the long-term economic effects of male military service. We concentrate on post-war British conscription into the armed services from 1949 to 1960. It was called National Service and applied to males aged 18 to 26. Based on a regression discontinuity design we estimate the effect of military service on the earnings of those required to serve through conscription. We argue that, in general, we should not expect to find large long-term real earnings among conscripts compared to later birth cohorts of males who were not eligible for call-up. Our empirical evidence firmly rejects the view that conscription entails relative long-term real earnings differences.

Keywords
National Service; WWII conscription; long-term real earnings; regression discontinuity design; Great Britain Armed Forces; Great Britain Armed Forces Appropriations and expenditures; Draft Great Britain

JEL codes

• J24: Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
• J31: Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
• N44: Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: Europe: 1913-