Long-term effects of conscription: lessons from the UK

The effect of military service on subsequent earnings has not been taken into account in the decennial debate on the abolition of military conscription in Western Europe. This paper provides evidence of the long-term effects of conscription on subsequent earnings. In our analysis, we use a regression-discontinuity approach to obtain unbiased estimates. The RD design used is based on a sharp discontinuity due to the abolition of military conscription in the UK in 1960. We study the effects of the abolition of compulsory military service in the UK on labour market outcomes. Our analysis sheds light on the importance of early labour career phase on labour market outcome.