Working Paper: NBER ID: w13223
Authors: Sung Won Kang; Hugh Rockoff
Abstract: This paper explores new estimates of the number of veterans and the value of veterans' benefits -- both cash benefits and land grants -- from the Revolution to 1900. Benefits, it turns out, varied substantially from war to war. The veterans of the War of 1812, in particular, received a smaller amount of benefits than did the veterans of the other nineteenth century wars. A number of factors appear to account for the differences across wars. Some are familiar from studies of other government programs: the previous history of veterans' benefits, the wealth of the United States, the number of veterans relative to the population, and the lobbying efforts of lawyers and other agents employed by veterans. Some are less familiar. There were several occasions, for example, when public attitudes toward the war appeared to influence the amount of benefits. Perhaps the most important factor, however, was the state of the federal treasury. When the federal government ran a surplus, veterans were likely to receive additional benefits; when it ran a deficit, veterans' hopes for additional benefits went unfilled. Veterans' benefits were, to use the terms a bit freely, more like a luxury than a necessity.
Keywords: veterans benefits; political economy; nineteenth century; cash benefits; land grants
JEL Codes: N11; N4
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| state of the federal treasury (H69) | veterans benefits (H56) |
| previous history of veterans benefits (N41) | future veterans benefits (H56) |
| wealth of the United States (N12) | veterans benefits (H56) |
| number of veterans (H56) | political influence (D72) |
| political influence (D72) | veterans benefits (H56) |
| lobbying efforts by veterans' agents (H56) | veterans benefits (H56) |
| public attitudes towards the wars (H56) | veterans benefits (H56) |