Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/238315 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 104
Publisher: 
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza (DISCE), Milano
Abstract: 
This paper investigates how voters respond to threats to the nation by estimating the political effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis. To establish causality, I exploit the geographical variation induced by the range of the missiles: only U.S. localities within 1,000 nautical miles from Cuba could be targeted. Difference-in-differences regressions show that target counties experienced an increase in voter turnout and support for the incumbent President's party by 5 and 3 percentage points, respectively. Finally, I find positive effects of the crisis on representatives' support for military spending and foreign intervention and on Americans' probability to serve in Vietnam.
Subjects: 
Voting Behavior
International Crises
Cuban Missile Crisis
JEL: 
D72
D74
H56
D91
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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