Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Natural experiment

Conscription is making a comeback. What does it cost the conscripts?

Paper: Effects of selective conscription on the labour market and education: Evidence from Sweden
Almén · European Journal of Political Economy 2026 · doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2025.102793

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Conscription is making a comeback. What does it cost the conscripts? When Sweden cut its military in 2004, a researcher could compare outcomes. On average, service raised unemployment at first, delayed education, and lowered earnings after age 30. The effects were driven by conscripts with high cognitive ability.

AI-assisted summary with an AI voice, not reviewed by the authors. Made from the paper under its CC BY licence. Read the paper before relying on a finding. Keywords: conscription, labor market outcomes, earnings, educational attainment, educational enrolment, cognitive ability.