@article{discovery10086419, publisher = {American Economic Association}, month = {May}, volume = {110}, pages = {1430--1463}, note = {This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.}, title = {Forced Migration and Human Capital: Evidence from Post-WWII Population Transfers}, year = {2020}, journal = {The American Economic Review}, number = {5}, author = {Voigtlaender, N and Becker, S and Grosfeld, I and Grosjean, P and Zhuravskaya, E}, abstract = {We study the long-run effects of forced migration on investment in education. After World War II, millions of Poles were forcibly uprooted from the Kresy territories of eastern Poland and resettled ( primarily) in the newly acquired Western Territories, from which the Germans were expelled. We combine historical censuses with newly collected survey data to show that, while there were no pre-WWII differences in educational attainment, Poles with a family history of forced migration are significantly more educated today than other Poles. These results are driven by a shift in preferences away from material possessions toward investment in human capital.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20181518} }