The Effect of WWII on the Lifespan of the Black Population

We investigate how World War II affected the
longevity of the Black population. We focus attention on two aspects
of the war. First, during the war a very large number of men served
in the military. Second, many companies received large Federal
contracts to support the war effort and employed a large number of
workers in the production of war-related goods and services. Previous
work has found that these events appear to have improved the economic
conditions of Black men after the war. We document that war contracts
indeed increased the age at death of Black men, but not of White men,
lowering racial disparities in lifespan. The results for Black women
are similar but less robust. Although WWII veterans lived longer than
civilians, our causal estimates of the effects of serving during the
war are imprecise for Black men.<br>