The Death of King Coal and the Scars of Deindustrialization

Bjoern Brey and Valeria Rueda

No 19082, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: This paper investigates the human cost of industrial decline. We focus on the largest contraction of the coal industry in the UK. Using longitudinal data following two cohorts born in 1958 and 1970, we estimate the lifelong effects of being exposed to pit closures dur- ing childhood on health and economic outcomes. Those exposed to the shock as children have worse health throughout life, and this effect transmits over generations. They are also raised in less privileged economic conditions and accumulate less wealth as adults. We also uncover that migration is an imperfect mitigation strategy. The longitudinal data structure allows us to account for different trajectories in the effects across locations and cohorts. We also verify that outcomes are identical in levels before the shock. Results are robust to a battery of robustness checks. These findings highlight that in the absence of any support, industrial decline has long-lasting consequences imperfectly mitigated by access to better opportunities. Few people move, and those who do keep a scar.

Keywords: Coal; Health; Industrial decline; Natural resources; Uk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I15 N34 N54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-05
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://cepr.org/publications/DP19082 (application/pdf)
CEPR Discussion Papers are free to download for our researchers, subscribers and members. If you fall into one of these categories but have trouble downloading our papers, please contact us at subscribers@cepr.org

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19082

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
https://cepr.org/publications/DP19082

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers Centre for Economic Policy Research, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().