Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17593
Authors: Sascha O. Becker; Sharun Mukand; Ivan Yotzov
Abstract: Persecution, pogroms, and genocide have plagued humanity for centuries, costing millions of lives and haunting survivors. Economists and economic historians have recently made new contributions to the understanding of these phenomena. We provide a novel conceptual framework which highlights the inter-relationship between the intensity of persecution and migration patterns across dozens of historical episodes. Using this framework as a lens, we survey the growing literature on the causes and consequences of persecution, pogroms, and genocide. Finally, we discuss gaps in the literature and take several tentative steps towards explaining the differences in survival rates of European Jews in the 20th century.
Keywords: genocide; persecution; migration; immigration restrictions; exit or voice
JEL Codes: D74; F22; F51; N4; O15; R23
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| intensity of persecution (Z12) | migration patterns (F22) |
| higher levels of persecution (Z12) | increased emigration (F22) |
| possibility of emigration (F22) | mitigate extreme outcomes of persecution (H84) |
| economic downturns (F44) | increased discrimination and violence against minority groups (J15) |
| strength of institutions (O43) | severity of persecution outcomes (P37) |