Some Remarks on the Causal Inference for Historical Persistence

A growing body of literature examines the relationships between historical events and contemporary economic outcomes. Recent studies estimate the causal effects using detailed historical data and contemporary microdata of individuals and/or households. In this paper, we discuss conceptual and empirical issues inherent in the causal inference following the potential outcomes framework. Using an empirical example, we also illustrate a simple alternative approach to avoid these issues that is coherent with the potential outcomes framework

GIS for empirical research design: An illustration with georeferenced point data.

This paper demonstrates how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be utilized to study the effects of spatial phenomena. Since experimental designs such as Randomized Controlled Trials are generally not feasible for spatial problems, researchers need to rely on quasi-experimental approaches using observational data. We provide a regression-based framework of the key procedures for GIS-based empirical research design using georeferenced point data for both spatial events of interest and subjects exposed to the events. We illustrate its utility and implementation through a case study on the impacts of the Cambodian genocide under the Pol Pot regime on post-conflict education

Conflict, Institutions, and Economic Behavior: Legacies of the Cambodian Genocide

This paper considers how the Cambodian genocide under the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979) altered people's post-conflict behaviors through institutional changes. Combining spatial genocide data and the complete count 1998 Population Census microdata, we examine the impacts of the genocide on subsequent investments in children's education for couples who had their first child during and after the Pol Pot era. These two couples had distinct institutional experiences: The former were controlled as family organizations - state-owned spouses and children - and the latter were not. We find adverse genocide impacts only among the former couples. Plausible underlying mechanisms are discussed

Conflict, Institutions, and Economic Behavior : Legacies of the Cambodian Genocide

This paper examines how the Cambodian genocide under the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979) altered people’s post-conflict behaviors through institutional changes. Combining spatial genocide data and the 1998 Census microdata, we compare the impacts of the genocide on subsequent investments in children’s education between couples who had their first child during and after the Pol Pot era. Because under the Pol Pot regime private ownership was completely denied and spouses and children were owned by the state as collective property, these couples had quite distinct institutional experiences: The former were controlled as family organizations and the latter were not. We find that the genocide adversely influenced children’s education among the former couples, but not the latter ones. We discuss plausible mechanisms underlying these patterns, shedding new light on why institutions which emerged during the conflict persistently shaped people’s post-conflict behaviors

Some Remarks on the Causal Inference for Historical Persistence

May 2017; reviced in September 2017A growing body of literature examines the relationships between historical events and contemporary economic outcomes. Recent studies estimate the causal effects using detailed historical data and contemporary microdata of individuals and/or households. In this paper, we discuss conceptual and econometric issues inherent in the causal inference following the potential outcomes framework. Using an empirical example, we also discuss a simple alternative approach to avoid these issues that is coherent with the potential outcomes framework.27, A-2 p

Long-term Effects of the Cambodian Genocide on Education

本稿では、1975年〜’79年のポル・ポト政権下のカンボジアで行われた大虐殺が、人々の経済行動に与えた長期的影響を検討する。具体的には、ポル・ポト政権下とその後の政権下で第一子を持った夫婦を対象として、当時の虐殺が、政権崩壊後の子供への教育投資行動にどのように影響を与えたかを、空間データとセンサス個票データを組み合わせて定量的に評価する。本稿の分析結果は、前者の夫婦では虐殺と教育投資の間に負の関連性があるが、後者の夫婦ではそれが無いことを示唆する。背景にある社会制度ならびに社会構造から解釈を導く。21