Military Conscription and Education

Student: Alexander Dakhnovich

Educational Programme: Joint HSE-NES Undergraduate Program in Economics (Bachelor)

Final Grade: 8

Year of Graduation: 2024

This paper examines the impact of compulsory military service (CMS) on educational outcomes in Russia, using data from the 2022 Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey - Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE). The primary hypothesis is that individuals enroll in tertiary education to postpone or avoid military service. Employing a Difference in Difference (DiD) analysis, the study explores how changes in CMS policies, particularly the reduction in service duration and the fluctuation in the number of conscripts, influence educational attainment. The results indicate that both shorter service duration and fewer conscripts significantly reduce full-time university enrollment and graduation rates, aligning with the hypothesis. Conversely, these policies had positive but not significant effects on professional education.

Full text (added May 27, 2024)

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