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The Long-Term Effect of Military Conscription on Personality and Beliefs

Author

Listed:
  • Gabriela Ertola Navajas

    (Universidad de San Andres)

  • Paula Lopez Villalba

    (Universidad de San Andres)

  • Martín Rossi

    (Department of Economics, Universidad de San Andres)

  • Antonia Vazquez

    (Universidad de San Andres)

Abstract

We estimate the causal impact of military conscription on long-term beliefs and personality traits. To address potential endogeneity concerns, we exploit the conscription lottery in Argentina. We combine administrative data from the conscription lottery with data from a survey we designed on beliefs and personality traits. We find that men who were conscripted are more likely to adopt a military mindset and that the effect is long lasting. Given the many people who go through military conscription, our results are useful for understanding how personality traits and beliefs are formed for a very salient part of the world’s population.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriela Ertola Navajas & Paula Lopez Villalba & Martín Rossi & Antonia Vazquez, 2019. "The Long-Term Effect of Military Conscription on Personality and Beliefs," Working Papers 132, Universidad de San Andres, Departamento de Economia, revised Apr 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:sad:wpaper:132
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    File URL: https://webacademicos.udesa.edu.ar/pub/econ/doc132.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jussi Heikkilä & Ina Laukkanen, 2022. "Gender-specific Call of Duty: A Note on the Neglect of Conscription in Gender Equality Indices," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 603-615, July.
    2. Bagues, Manuel & Roth, Christopher, 2020. "Interregional Contact and National Identity," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 526, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    3. Guillermo Cruces & Martín A. Rossi & Ernesto Schargrodsky, 2023. "Dishonesty and Public Employment," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 5(4), pages 511-526, December.
    4. Cáceres-Delpiano, Julio & De Moragas, Antoni-Italo & Facchini, Gabriel & González, Ignacio, 2021. "Intergroup contact and nation building: Evidence from military service in Spain," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    5. M. Amelia Gibbons & Martín A. Rossi, 2022. "Military Conscription, Sexist Attitudes and Intimate Partner Violence," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(355), pages 540-563, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    personality traits; impressionable years; military service;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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