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World War II and Black Economic Progress

Author

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  • Ferrara, Andreas

    (University of Pittsburgh)

Abstract

During the 1940s, a substantial share of Southern Black men moved from low-skilled to much better paying semi-skilled jobs. Using newly digitized military data, I show that counties with higher World War II casualty rates among semi-skilled White soldiers saw an increase in the share of semi-skilled Black workers. These deaths opened new employment opportunities for Black Southerners and, together with learning effects by employers, can explain up to 22.6% of the occupational upgrading at mid-century. I provide evidence that the casualty-induced labor shortages reduced racial barriers to entry, leading to a positive selection of Black workers into semi-skilled employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferrara, Andreas, 2018. "World War II and Black Economic Progress," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 387, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:387
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Turner, Sarah & Bound, John, 2003. "Closing the Gap or Widening the Divide: The Effects of the G.I. Bill and World War II on the Educational Outcomes of Black Americans," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(1), pages 145-177, March.
    2. Iris Kesternich & Bettina Siflinger & James P. Smith & Joachim K. Winter, 2014. "The Effects of World War II on Economic and Health Outcomes across Europe," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 96(1), pages 103-118, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gianluca Russo, 2018. "World War I and the Rise of Fascism in Italy," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-341, Boston University - Department of Economics, revised May 2020.
    2. Barrera, Sergio E. & Ferrara, Andreas & Fishback, Price V. & Heggeness, Misty L., 2025. "The impact of World War II Army service on income and mobility in the 1960s by ethnoracial group," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Victor Gay, 2017. "The Legacy of the Missing Men: The Long-Run Impact of World War I on Female Labor Force Participation," 2017 Papers pga905, Job Market Papers.
    4. Nancy Qian & Marco Tabellini, 2021. "Racial Discrimination and the Social Contract: Evidence from U.S. Army Enlistment during WWII," NBER Working Papers 29482, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. 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.
    6. Kukic, Leonard, 2019. "The last Yugoslavs: ethnic diversity, national identity and civil war," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102323, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Karger, Ezra & Wray, Anthony, 2024. "The Black–white lifetime earnings gap," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    8. Lleras-Muney, Adriana & Morgan, Tommy & Price, Joseph & Wygal, William, 2025. "The effect of World War II spending and army service on the lifespan of the Black population," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    9. Victor Gay, 2023. "The Intergenerational Transmission of World War I on Female Labour," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(654), pages 2303-2333.
    10. Daniel Aaronson & Mark Borgschulte & Sunny Liu & Bhashkar Mazumder, 2024. "Schooling and Political Activism in the Early Civil Rights Era," Working Paper Series WP 2024-06, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    11. Alexander J. Field, 2023. "The decline of US manufacturing productivity between 1941 and 1948," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(4), pages 1163-1190, November.
    12. Collins, William J. & Zimran, Ariell, 2025. "World War II service and the GI Bill: New evidence on selection and veterans’ outcomes from linked census records," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    13. Patrick Bayer & Kerwin Kofi Charles & Ellora Derenoncourt, 2025. "Racial Inequality in the Labor Market," Working Papers 343, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics

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