The 1918 epidemic and a V‐shaped recession: evidence from historical tax records*
利用丹麦历史市政税收记录中的高质量生命统计和年度收入数据，发现1918年流感大流行后平均收入呈V型走势，死亡率高的地区衰退和复苏更明显，且失业率在疫情后数月内回落，股市影响短暂。
Abstract We exploit high‐quality vital statistics data and annual income data, obtained from historical municipality tax records, to study the economic aftermath of the 1918 influenza epidemic in Denmark. We find that average income followed a V‐shaped path from 1917 to 1919, and (if anything) municipalities with higher mortality rates because of the 1918 influenza epidemic experienced more pronounced declines and recoveries. In addition, national month‐by‐industry unemployment data show that unemployment rates were high during the epidemic, but decreased again a couple of months after the epidemic receded. Evidence from the Danish stock‐market exchange also indicates that the epidemic only had short‐lived effects on the economy.