Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/147897 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 10211
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Military service is an important vehicle through which young Americans invest in their human capital. Using internal military data, we show that county-level exposure to U.S. combat casualties during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars decreased the supply of new soldiers in that county, and changed the observable characteristics of soldiers who enlisted in that county. Using data from the American Community Survey, we find that exposure to casualties at a young age (17-18) increases the probability of dropping out from high school, and decreases the probability of attaining a college degree. The results suggest that increasing access to higher education and skill training positively impacts the human capital investments of marginal students.
Subjects: 
military service
training
college aid
human capital
JEL: 
I20
I22
I26
J22
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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