Luisito Bertinelli (Université du Luxembourg)
Salle 212
Séminaire recherche. Bugged Out: Locust Plagues, Migration, and Adaptation in 19th Century US
Luisito Bertinelli
Université du Luxembourg
Résumé
This paper examines the impact of locust invasions on internal migration and adaptive strategies in the late 19th-century United States.
Using an instrumental variable approach based on wind patterns, we show that individuals residing in locust affected counties were, on average, 6.6 percentage points more likely to leave their home counties between 1870 and 1880 compar ed to those in unaffected areas.
Our findings further suggest that farmers who relocated experienced a greater increase in their occupational income scores than those who remained.
At the county level, we show that affected counties shifted from more to less vulnerable cereal crops, rather than diversifying their agricultural production.
By analyzing historical responses to environmental crises, this paper provides insights into how individuals and communities adapt to extreme environmental shocks, contributing to our understanding of migration and resilience in the face of environmental change.