Terrorism and Patriotism: On the Earnings of US Veterans following September 11, 2001
American Economic Review · 2012 · Volume 102 · Issue 3
Abstract
Using data from the 2000 census and the 2001-08 American Community Surveys, this paper examines the impact of 9/11 on the earnings of US veteran men. Our hypothesis is that the surge in patriotism after 9/11 improved their relative earnings, but this earnings effect was short-lived. In addition, we further consider whether this effect was equally felt across race/ethnicity and along regional dimensions. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find a significant short-term improvement in the relative earnings of US veteran men following 9/11. However, additional analyses suggest that this earnings effect did not evenly occur across demographic and geographic dimensions.
Keywords
National Security and War, Wage Level and Structure, Wage Differentials, Public Sector Labor Markets
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