 Bugged Out: Locust Plagues, Migration, and Adaptation in 19th Century USLuisito Bertinelli (),
Aurélie Gillen and
Eric Strobl ()
DEM Discussion Paper Series from Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg Abstract: This paper examines the impact of locust invasions on internal migration and adaptive strategies in the late 19th-century United States. Using an instrumental variable approach based on wind patterns to predict locust presence, we show that individuals living in locust-affected counties were, on average, 10.9 percentage points more likely to leave their home counties between 1870 and 1880 compared to those in unaffected areas. Furthermore, farmers who relocated experienced a greater increase in their occupational income scores than those who remained. At the county level, we observe significant structural changes, including a substantial decline in the number of mid- and large-sized farms and a reduction in crop diversification in affected counties. These findings highlight adaptive responses to environmental crises and provide insights into migration and resilience during periods of extreme environmental shocks. Keywords: locust plague; internal migration; agricultural development; adaptation. (search for similar items in EconPapers) There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:luc:wpaper:25-07 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in DEM Discussion Paper Series from Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg Contact information at EDIRC. |
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