How does civil war affect citizen engagement with democracy? Civilians who live through warfare face numerous disruptions to everyday life that can have permanent effects on political engagement even after peace is achieved. This article analyzes the role of depressed living standards resulting from education loss during the Liberia Civil War as a case study of war-related deprivation. I argue that the negative effects of war on education and economic outcomes clash with the expectations that citizens have for postwar democracy, with adverse consequences for political participation. I demonstrate support for this argument using a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative interviews with census, voting, and Afrobarometer survey data. I leverage a difference-in-differences identification strategy to causally identify the negative impact of conflict on human capital for a generation of young adults, and on the downstream consequences of disruptions in education on political participation. Results indicate that children who were of school age during the civil war are differentially less likely to have any formal schooling by the end of the war. I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. This extends to political participation: those who lost out on educational opportunities due to war exhibit lower political engagement and less desire to engage with democratic processes.

内战如何影响公民参与民主？经历过战争的平民在日常生活中面临着无数的干扰，即使在实现和平之后，这些干扰也会对政治参与产生永久性影响。本文分析了利比里亚内战期间教育损失导致生活水平低下的作用，作为与战争相关的剥夺的案例研究。我认为战争对教育和经济结果的负面影响与公民对战后民主的期望相冲突，对政治参与产生不利后果。我使用混合方法证明了对这一论点的支持，将定性访谈与人口普查、投票和非洲晴雨表调查数据相结合。我利用差异中的差异识别策略来因果识别冲突对一代年轻人的人力资本的负面影响，以及教育中断对政治参与的下游后果。结果表明，在内战期间处于学龄的儿童在战争结束时接受任何正规学校教育的可能性不同。I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. 这延伸到政治参与：那些因战争而失去教育机会的人表现出较低的政治参与度和参与民主进程的意愿。以及政治参与教育中断的下游后果。结果表明，在内战期间处于学龄的儿童在战争结束时接受任何正规学校教育的可能性不同。I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. 这延伸到政治参与：那些因战争而失去教育机会的人表现出较低的政治参与度和参与民主进程的意愿。以及政治参与教育中断的下游后果。结果表明，在内战期间处于学龄的儿童在战争结束时接受任何正规学校教育的可能性不同。I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. 这延伸到政治参与：那些因战争而失去教育机会的人表现出较低的政治参与度和参与民主进程的意愿。I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. 这延伸到政治参与：那些因战争而失去教育机会的人表现出较低的政治参与度和参与民主进程的意愿。I further find that educational deficiencies disproportionately decrease postwar job prospects, breeding resentment against the newly elected government. 这延伸到政治参与：那些因战争而失去教育机会的人表现出较低的政治参与度和参与民主进程的意愿。