11.05.2021 New Working Paper: Years of Life Lost to Revolution and War in Iran

What was the effect of the Islamic revolution in Iran (1977-79) and the subsequent eight year war with Iraq (1980-88) on the life expectancy of Iranians?

In a recent study, Mohammad Reza Farzanegan examines the causal joint effect of a new political regime and war against Iraq on life expectancy of Iranians for the period 1978–1988 during the revolution and war.

The study finds a sizable negative effect of the joint treatment. The results show that in total, an average Iranian has lost an accumulated 62 years of life during the post-revolution period until the end of war with Iraq in 1988. The average annual years of life lost is approximately six years. In other words, in the absence of the revolution and war, an average Iranian’s life expectancy could be approximately six years longer.

Read more about this research at CESifo Working Paper No. 9063: 

https://www.cesifo.org/en/publikationen/2021/working-paper/years-life-lost-revolution-and-war-iran