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The Effect of the War on Human Capital in Ukraine and the Path for Rebuilding

Author

Listed:
  • Gorodnichenko, Yuriy

    (University of California, Berkeley)

  • Kudlyak, Marianna

    (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)

  • Sahin, Aysegül

    (Princeton University)

Abstract

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The ensuing war has a devastating destructing impact in Ukraine. This article focuses on the humanitarian cost of war. The article develops a framework for the analysis of the effect of a war on country’s human capital. We then identify the following key directions for rebuilding and further developing human capital in Ukraine: quantity and quality of schooling for children, quality of higher education, training and retraining programs for adults, assistance for people with disabilities, post-deployment re-integration into the civilian sector, population growth and fertility, and promotion of self-motivating mechanisms.

Suggested Citation

  • Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Kudlyak, Marianna & Sahin, Aysegül, 2022. "The Effect of the War on Human Capital in Ukraine and the Path for Rebuilding," IZA Policy Papers 185, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izapps:pp185
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jacob Mincer, 1958. "Investment in Human Capital and Personal Income Distribution," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(4), pages 281-281.
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    6. Gary S. Becker, 1964. "Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, First Edition," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck-5.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anastasia, Giacomo & Boeri, Tito & Kudlyak, Marianna & Zholud, Oleksandr, 2022. "The Labor Market in Ukraine: Rebuild Better," CEPR Discussion Papers 17769, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    2. Alessandra Guariglia & Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy & Oleksandr Talavera & Olha Zadorozhna, 2025. "Research productivity during the Russian war in Ukraine," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 205(3), pages 443-467, December.
    3. Pham, Tho & Talavera, Oleksandr & Wu, Zhuangchen, 2023. "Labor markets during war time: Evidence from online job advertisements," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 1316-1333.
    4. Giacomo Anastasia & Tito Boeri & Oleksandr Zholud, 2026. "A wartime labor market: the case of Ukraine," CEP Discussion Papers dp2142, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Tho Pham & Oleksandr Talavera & Zhuangchen Wu, 2023. "Labor Markets during War Time: Evidence from Online Job Ads," Discussion Papers 23-03, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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