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Discrimination, Migration, and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from World War I

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Ferrara

    (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Price Fishback

    (University of Arizona)

Abstract

This paper examines the individual and aggregate costs of ethnic discrimination. Studying Germans in the United States during World War I, an event that abruptly downgraded their previously high social standing, we show that anti-German sentiment was strongly associated with counties’ casualties in the war, leading to subsequent outmigration of Germans. Such relocation to evade discrimination was costly for German workers. However, counties with larger outflows of Germans, who tended to be well-trained manufacturing workers, incurred economic costs too, including a drop in average annual manufacturing wages of 0.6% to 2.2%. This effect lasted at least until 1930.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Ferrara & Price Fishback, 2024. "Discrimination, Migration, and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from World War I," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(5), pages 1201-1219, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:106:y:2024:i:5:p:1201-1219
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01209
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    Cited by:

    1. Mitchener, Kris & Esteves, Rui & Nencka, Peter & Thomasson, Melissa A, 2022. "Do Pandemics Change Healthcare? Evidence from the Great Influenza," CEPR Discussion Papers 17666, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    2. Lippmann, Quentin & Surana, Khushboo, 2025. "The evolution of partner preferences: Evidence using matrimonial ads from Canada, France, India and the United States," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    3. 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.
    4. Quentin Lippmann & Khushboo Surana, 2022. "The Hierarchy of Partner Preferences," Discussion Papers 22/08, Department of Economics, University of York.
    5. James J. Feigenbaum & Soumyajit Mazumder & Cory B. Smith, 2020. "When Coercive Economies Fail: The Political Economy of the US South After the Boll Weevil," NBER Working Papers 27161, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Liu, Renliang & Xie, Jian, 2025. "Heritage of Hostility: How Anti-Missionary Violence and Industrial Capacity Shaped China's Quid Pro Quo for Foreign Technology," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 777, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    7. Matthew Holian & Oleh Wolowyna, 2025. "Identity and the Russian-Ukrainian War: Evidence from the American Community Survey," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, Springer, vol. 8(4), pages 295-322, December.
    8. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Borra, Cristina & Wang, Chunbei, 2021. "Asian Discrimination in the Coronavirus Era: Implications for Business Formation and Survival," IZA Discussion Papers 14182, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. Selva, Alma Cortes & Deng, Yipu & Zhang, Danyang, 2025. "Covid19 and consumer animus towards Chinese products: Evidence from Amazon data," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    10. Kukić, Leonard, 2023. "The last Yugoslavs: Ethnic diversity and national identity," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    11. Lee, Jongkwan & Peri, Giovanni & Yasenov, Vasil, 2022. "The labor market effects of Mexican repatriations: Longitudinal evidence from the 1930s," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    12. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Cristina Borra & Chunbei Wang, 2024. "Asian entrepreneurship in the coronavirus era," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-34, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N42 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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