Working Paper: NBER ID: w20829
Authors: Shari Eli; Laura Salisbury
Abstract: Beginning in the 1880s, southern states introduced pensions for Confederate veterans and widows. They continued to expand these programs through the 1920s, while states outside the region were introducing cash transfer programs for workers, poor mothers, and the elderly. Using legislative documents, application records for Confederate pensions, and county-level census and electoral data, we argue that political considerations guided the enactment and distribution of these pensions. We show that Confederate pensions programs were introduced and funded during years in which Democratic gubernatorial candidates were threatened at the ballot box. Moreover, we offer evidence that pensions were disbursed to counties in which these candidates had lost ground to candidates from alternative parties.
Keywords: Confederate pensions; welfare state; political patronage; Southern politics; income redistribution
JEL Codes: H0; I38; N0; N41; N42
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Electoral performance of third-party candidates (D79) | Introduction of pension programs (H55) |
| Republican vote shares (D72) | Funding of pensions (H55) |
| Counties with higher third-party or Republican vote shares (D72) | Increased numbers of pension applications (H55) |