Persistent Social Networks: Civil War Veterans who Fought Together Co-Locate in Later Life

Dora Costa, Matthew Kahn, Christopher Roudiez and Sven Wilson

No 22397, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: At the end of the U.S Civil War, veterans had to choose whether to return to their prewar communities or move to new areas. The late 19th Century was a time of sharp urban growth as workers sought out the economic opportunities offered by cities. By estimating discrete choice migration models, we quantify the tradeoffs that veterans faced. Veterans were less likely to move far from their origin and avoided urban immigrant areas and high mortality risk areas. They also avoided areas that opposed the Civil War. Veterans were more likely to move to a neighborhood or a county where men from their same war company lived. This co-location evidence highlights the existence of persistent social networks. Such social networks had long-term consequences: veterans living close to war time friends enjoyed a longer life.

JEL-codes: J61 N91 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo, nep-his, nep-mig, nep-soc and nep-ure
Note: AG DAE EH
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published as Dora L. Costa & Matthew E. Kahn & Christopher Roudiez & Sven Wilson, 2017. "Persistent Social Networks: Civil War Veterans Who Fought Together Co-Locate in Later Life," Regional Science and Urban Economics, .

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Journal Article: Persistent social networks: Civil war veterans who fought together co-locate in later life (2018)
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