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Scars of war: the legacy of WW1 deaths on civic capital and combat motivation

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  • Carozzi, Felipe
  • Pinchbeck, Edward William
  • Repetto, Luca

Abstract

What drives soldiers to risk their life in combat? We show that the legacy of war creates lasting conditions that encourage younger generations to take greater risks when fighting for their country. Using individual-level data from over 4 million British war records, we show that WWI deaths deeply affected local communities and the behaviour of the next generation of soldiers. Servicemen from localities that suffered heavier losses in WWI were more likely to die or to be awarded military honours for bravery in WW2. To explain these findings, we document that WWI deaths promoted civic capital in the inter-war period - as demonstrated by the creation of lasting war memorials, veterans' associations and charities, and increased voter participation. In addition, we show that sons of soldiers killed in WWI were more likely to die in combat, suggesting that both community-level and family-level transmission of values were important in this context.

Suggested Citation

  • Carozzi, Felipe & Pinchbeck, Edward William & Repetto, Luca, 2023. "Scars of war: the legacy of WW1 deaths on civic capital and combat motivation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121292, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:121292
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    Cited by:

    1. Gay, Victor & Grosjean, Pauline, 2023. "Morts Pour la France: A database of French fatalities of the Great War," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    world war; combat motivation; conflict; civic capital; memory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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