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Racial Discrimination and the Social Contract: Evidence from U.S. Army Enlistment During WWII

By: Nancy Qian and Marco Tabellini
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    Abstract

    This paper documents that the Pearl Harbor attack triggered a sharp increase in volunteer enlistment rates of American men, the magnitude of the increase was smaller for Black men than for white men and the Black-white gap was larger in counties with higher levels of racial discrimination. The results suggest that political exclusion and discrimination can undermine support for the government during critical times such as war.

    Keywords

    State Capacity; Institutions; War; History; Race; Prejudice and Bias; Government Administration

    Citation

    Qian, Nancy, and Marco Tabellini. "Racial Discrimination and the Social Contract: Evidence from U.S. Army Enlistment During WWII." Review of Economic Studies (forthcoming). (Pre-published online May 22, 2025. Available also from KelloggInsight, HBS Working Knowledge, and NBER.)

    About The Author

    Marco E. Tabellini

    Business, Government and the International Economy
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