Civil War and Labor-Market Outcomes in Sierra Leone

Abstract

This paper provides evidences of the lasting effects conflict exposure during different stages of life on the long-term labor-market outcomes of civilians in Sierra Leone. We took advantage of variations in time and location of the conflict and used a combination of data from the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey (2011) and various other data related to human-rights violations and loss of assets during war. Our results suggest a negative effect of conflict exposure during primary school age on long-term labor-market participation and employment. More precisely, exposure during this stage of life can reduce participation in the labor market or employment by up to 3%. The study also established the negative impact of conflict exposure from utero stage through primary-school age on hourly wages.