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Guohui Jiang (University of Zurich): War as Cooperation: The Equality Motive of War Participation in World War II

This paper examines how equality motives determined war participation in the United States during WWII. First, exposure to higher draft inequality -- draft share differences between individuals' poorer and richer neighbors -- diminished the willingness to enlist. The identification variations were created by draft lottery. Collectivists' enlistment decisions were more sensitive to local draft inequality. Second, induction of leaders, such as relatives of draft board members, enhanced the enlistment of ordinary men. The higher the draft inequality, the more pronounced the leadership effect. Finally, perceptions of draft fairness mediated these results. Higher draft inequality impaired fairness perceptions, whereas visible and heroic behaviors of leaders enhanced them. Administrative records and survey evidence substantiate the fairness mechanism. These findings highlight the importance of equality and fairness in sustaining large-scale cooperation.