War and Welfare: The Later Life Consequences of Military Service

• Other Authors: McKelvey, Joel Brandon (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Sociology
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5029

As veterans of the Iraq War return to their families, researchers are showing renewed interest in understanding the life course effects of military service. Past research, however, does not provide clear insight into the life course opportunities of returning soldiers. As public policy and economic opportunities change, the experiences of veterans will also change. Though some studies have measured the benefits and risks of military service, there are few studies that have followed veterans later in life. Studies of the costs and benefits of military service in later life may help to inform current policy debates about the care and treatment of returning soldiers and help researchers understand the ability of public policy to shape outcomes related to retirement.This project attempts to answer some of these concerns by examining multiple cohorts of military veterans. I find that, in aggregate, military veterans are not significantly disadvantaged in economic later-life outcomes though Black and Hispanic veterans have significantly better later-life economic outcomes than their non-veteran counterparts. Among veterans, I find that age at entry and service length both influence later-life economic outcomes. These findings suggest that life trajectory differences between veterans and non-veterans along with varied career trajectories among veterans should be studied further to understand the role of public policy in later-life economic outcomes. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Fall Semester, 2011. === October 24, 2011. === Civilian, Military, Outcomes, Retirement, Sociology, Veterans === Includes bibliographical references. === Jill Quadagno, Professor Directing Dissertation; Charles Barrilleaux, University Representative; John Reynolds, Committee Member; Daniel Tope, Committee Member.