| ID | 185481 |
| Title Proper | Self-Selection and Recruit Quality in Sweden’s All Volunteer Force |
| Other Title Information | Do Civilian Opportunities Matter? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Bäckström, Peter |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper studies how local labour market conditions influence the quality composition of those who volunteer for military service in Sweden. A fixed-effects regression model is estimated on a panel data set containing IQ scores for those who applied for military basic training across Swedish municipalities during the period 2010 to 2016. The main finding is that low civilian employment rates at the local level tend to increase the mean IQ score of those who volunteer for military service, whereas the opposite is true if employment rates in the civilian labour market move in a more favourable direction. As such, the results suggest that the negative impact of a strong civilian economy on recruitment volumes is reinforced by a deterioration in recruit quality. |
| `In' analytical Note | Defence and Peace Economics Vol. 33, No.4; Jun 2022: p.438-453 |
| Journal Source | Defence and Peace Economics Vol: 33 No 4 |
| Key Words | Military recruitment ; Enlistment Test ; Military Labour Market ; Self-Selection ; Roy Model |