Dora Costa, Matthew Kahn: UCLA

In Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of War we used the life histories of more than forty thousand Civil War soldiers to discover when people are willing to sacrifice for the common good, what are the benefits of friendship, and what are the costs and benefits of being in a diverse community. We discuss these themes as well as the role of leadership in eliciting sacrifice, the role of social networks in mediating wartime stress, and the scarring effects of wartime experiences.