There is no conflict of interest.
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on lifetime earnings.
- The study used a nonexperimental design to estimate the lifetime earnings of CCC participants. Using several administrative data sources, the author conducted a statistical model to compare the lifetime earnings of CCC participants who served for different lengths of time.
- The study found a significant relationship between duration in the CCC program and lifetime earnings, with higher earnings among participants who served longer periods compared to those who served shorter periods.
- This study receives a moderate evidence rating. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Features of the Intervention
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat youth unemployment. The program aimed to provide relief for young people while preserving and enhancing natural resources. The CCC was commissioned by the federal government to build national parks, work on preserving forests, and irrigate land, with projects and affiliated camp sites located across the country. The program provided job opportunities and additional education, such as on-the-job training and vocational courses, which were required for participants who could not read or write. Participants initially enrolled for a six-month period and could re-enroll for a maximum of two years. They were required to work 40 hours per week and earned $30 monthly, with $25 sent home to a designated family member. The federal government also provided transportation to sites, housing, uniforms, food, dental and medical care, and workers' compensation insurance.
Participants had to meet eligibility criteria: they needed to be unemployed males, aged 17 to 25, unmarried, American citizens, in good health, and without a criminal record. They also had to agree to send a large portion of their earnings to a designated family member and relocate to the camp site for the duration of the program. The program prioritized those in greater need, often selecting individuals from families already receiving assistance.
Features of the Study
The study used a nonexperimental design to estimate the earnings outcomes of CCC participants. The study sample was selected from CCC camp sites in Colorado and New Mexico and included 12,455 unemployed men. The sample participants had an average age of 18.74 years, and nearly half (43.2%) were Hispanic.
The primary data sources included CCC enrollee records from the State Archives of Colorado and the New Mexico State Records Center, camp-level data, Social Security Administration (SSA) records, death records from the Social Security Death Master File and state-level data, 1940 Census, and World War II (WWII) enlistment records. The Colorado CCC enrollee records included individuals who participated between 1937 and 1942, while the New Mexico records included those who participated from 1938 to 1942. CCC enrollee records were matched with the 1940 Census, WWII enlistment records, SSA records, and death certificates. The SSA records include the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the average of the highest 35 years of earnings adjusted for inflation. The author used a statistical model to estimate the impact of CCC on lifetime earnings by comparing the outcomes of participants who served for different lengths of time.
Findings
Earnings and wages
- The study found that CCC participants who served longer periods had significantly higher lifetime earnings, with an increase of about $19.89 per month for each additional year of training.
- The study also found a positive statistically significant relationship between the length of CCC service and lifetime earnings for participants aged 18 or younger, Hispanic participants, and non-Hispanic participants.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Enrollment forms for CCC participants from New Mexico were not available, resulting in notably less information about these participants than those from Colorado. The author imputed the missing data for Hispanic variables at both the individual and camp levels using the Hispanic index. The author also imputed missing baseline data in the records from Colorado and New Mexico by using the average and adding a set of dummy variables to show when a covariate was missing. The duration dates for participants in the CCC program were often incomplete or missing, which could lead to bias in the findings.
Causal Evidence Rating
Research Guidelines
Review Protocol: Living Systematic Annual Search and Review Protocol
Review Guidelines: Causal Evidence Guidelines