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The Impact of the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic on Economic Performance in Sweden - An Investigation into the Consequences of an Extraordinary Mortality Shock

Karlsson, Martin ; Nilsson, Therese LU and Pichler, Stefan (2014) In Journal of Health Economics 36. p.1-19
Abstract
Abstract in Undetermined
We study the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on short- and medium-term economic performance in Sweden. The pandemic was one of the severest and deadliest pandemics in human history, but it has hitherto received only scant attention in the economic literature - despite representing an unparalleled labour supply shock. In this paper, we exploit seemingly exogenous variation in incidence rates between Swedish regions to estimate the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic led to a significant increase in poorhouse rates. There is also evidence that capital returns were negatively affected by the pandemic. However, contrary to predictions, we find no discernible effect on earnings.
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Health Economics
volume
36
pages
1 - 19
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:24721206
  • wos:000338407000001
  • scopus:84897950981
  • pmid:24721206
ISSN
1879-1646
DOI
10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.03.005
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5a37fba1-b024-4861-a2a9-130ff8b72593 (old id 4360092)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:13:22
date last changed
2022-04-28 08:06:43
@article{5a37fba1-b024-4861-a2a9-130ff8b72593,
  abstract     = {{Abstract in Undetermined<br/>We study the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on short- and medium-term economic performance in Sweden. The pandemic was one of the severest and deadliest pandemics in human history, but it has hitherto received only scant attention in the economic literature - despite representing an unparalleled labour supply shock. In this paper, we exploit seemingly exogenous variation in incidence rates between Swedish regions to estimate the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic led to a significant increase in poorhouse rates. There is also evidence that capital returns were negatively affected by the pandemic. However, contrary to predictions, we find no discernible effect on earnings.}},
  author       = {{Karlsson, Martin and Nilsson, Therese and Pichler, Stefan}},
  issn         = {{1879-1646}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1--19}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Health Economics}},
  title        = {{The Impact of the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic on Economic Performance in Sweden - An Investigation into the Consequences of an Extraordinary Mortality Shock}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.03.005}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.03.005}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}