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Dust Bowl Migrants: Identifying an Archetype

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  • Richard Hornbeck

Abstract

The 1930's American Dust Bowl created archetypal "Dust Bowl migrants," refugees from environmental collapse and economic upheaval. I examine this archetype, comparing migration from more-eroded counties and less-eroded counties to distinguish Dust Bowl migrants from other migrants in this era. Migrants from more-eroded counties were more "negatively selected," in years of education, than other migrants who were "positively selected." These Dust Bowl migrants struggled economically, especially in California. Despite migrants' struggles, however, I estimate strikingly modest impacts of the Dust Bowl on average incomes that contrast with its enduring impacts on agricultural land.

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  • Richard Hornbeck, 2020. "Dust Bowl Migrants: Identifying an Archetype," NBER Working Papers 27656, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27656
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    2. Sascha O. Becker, 2022. "Forced displacement in history: Some recent research," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 2-25, March.
    3. Sichko, Christopher T., 2023. "Drought and Migration during the Great Depression," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335558, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Zimran, Ariell, 2022. "US immigrants’ secondary migration and geographic assimilation during the Age of Mass Migration," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    5. Sichko, Christopher, 2021. "Migrant Selection and Sorting during the Great American Drought," SocArXiv wm2p3, Center for Open Science.
    6. Schwank, Hanna, 2023. "Disruptive Effects of Natural Disasters: The 1906 San Francisco Fire," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277579, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N52 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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