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Do guns displace books? The impact of compulsory military service on educational attainment

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  • Bauer, Thomas K.
  • Bender, Stefan
  • Paloyo, Alfredo R.
  • Schmidt, Christoph M.

Abstract

To estimate the causal effect of conscription on the probability to obtain a university degree, we use a regression-discontinuity design associated with the introduction of conscription in Germany. There is evidence that conscription increased the likelihood of completing higher education.

Suggested Citation

  • Bauer, Thomas K. & Bender, Stefan & Paloyo, Alfredo R. & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2014. "Do guns displace books? The impact of compulsory military service on educational attainment," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 124(3), pages 513-515.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:124:y:2014:i:3:p:513-515
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2014.07.026
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Mouganie, 2020. "Conscription and the Returns to Education: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 122(3), pages 1112-1139, July.
    2. Giorgio Pietro, 2013. "Military conscription and university enrolment: evidence from Italy," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(2), pages 619-644, April.
    3. Frank Hubers & Dinand Webbink, 2015. "The long-term effects of military conscription on educational attainment and wages," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Torun, Huzeyfe & Tumen, Semih, 2016. "The effects of compulsory military service exemption on education and labor market outcomes: Evidence from a natural experiment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 16-35.
    5. Bauer, Thomas K. & Bender, Stefan & Paloyo, Alfredo R. & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2012. "Evaluating the labor-market effects of compulsory military service," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(4), pages 814-829.
    6. Elena Kotyrlo & Elena Varshavskaya, 2022. "Impact of the compulsory military service reform of 2007–2008 on the demand for higher education," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 715-735, October.
    7. Hwee Ling Lim, 2018. "Perceptions of Emirati Youths on National Service at Initial Implementation Stage," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(2), pages 21582440187, May.
    8. Collischon, Matthias & Eberl, Andreas & Jahn, Kerstin, 2018. "The effect of compulsory service on life satisfaction and its channels," IAB-Discussion Paper 201824, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    9. Marta Schoch, 2020. "Essays on political economy, inequality and development," Economics PhD Theses 0120, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Regression discontinuity; Conscription; Career interruption; Skill atrophy; TS2SLS;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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