Long-run economic consequence of The Holodomor (Shikha Silwal)

Remote: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/2/2025 and run for 10 weeks, finishing on 8/8/2025.

Project Description

The Holodomor is a man-made famine of the Ukrainian nation committed in 1932-1933 by the leadership of the Soviet Union to eliminate Ukrainian national resistance to the Soviet regime and suppress attempts to build a sovereign Ukrainian State independent of Moscow. It is estimated that around 8 million Ukrainians perished during that time. Although scholars in History and other related fields have studied the Holodomor extensively, there are very limited studies on the economic analysis of the Holodomor, especially as it pertains to the long-run consequences of it. This study seeks to understand the effects the Holodomor has on the peopleĆ­s trust and sociopolitical norms. Using World Value Survey data (2017) and the Holodomor casualty data (obtained from multiple sources), the study seeks to analyze how localities that were differentially impacted by the Holodomor differ in their sociopolitical norms today. The study brings to light a relatively understudied genocide and contributes to our understanding of impact of violent conflicts on culture. The first few weeks (approximately 3) will be devoted to preparing data for manipulation and collecting additional data as needed. Then, the next couple of weeks (2-3 weeks) will be focused on taking stock of the literature on consequences of the Holodomor. The rest of the time will be spent on data analysis.

Prerequisites

Students should have taken Intermediate microeconomics and have some background in programming language (STATA, Python, or taken ECON 202).

Special Comments

n/a

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025

Estimated End Date: 8/8/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 10 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Remote

Contact Information: Shikha Silwal (email: silwals@wlu.edu)