Can Compulsory Military Service Raise Civilian Wages? Evidence from the Peacetime Draft in Portugal
利用葡萄牙1967年出生男性的纵向数据，研究发现和平时期征兵使仅受过初等教育的男性工资显著提高4-5个百分点，但对高等教育者无影响，表明强制兵役对低技能劳动者是宝贵经历。
We provide new evidence on the long-term impacts of peacetime conscription, using longitudinal data for Portuguese men born in 1967. These men were inducted at age 21, allowing us to use pre-conscription wages to control for ability differences between conscripts and nonconscripts. We find a significant 4–5 percentage point impact of service on the wages of men with only primary education, coupled with a zero effect for men with higher education. The effect for less-educated men suggests that mandatory service can be a valuable experience for those who might otherwise spend their careers in low-level jobs.