Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
November 2016
Trade Liberalization and Mortality: Evidence from U.S. Counties
Justin R. Pierce and Peter K. Schott
Abstract:
We investigate the impact of a large economic shock on mortality. We find that counties more exposed to a plausibly exogenous trade liberalization exhibit higher rates of suicide and related causes of death, concentrated among whites, especially white males. These trends are consistent with our finding that more-exposed counties experience relative declines in manufacturing employment, a sector in which whites and males are over-represented. We also examine other causes of death that might be related to labor market disruption and find both positive and negative relationships. More-exposed counties, for example, exhibit lower rates of fatal heart attacks.
Keywords: International Trade, Mortality, Trade Policy, Unemployment
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2016.094
PDF: Full Paper