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Earnings Inequality in Nineteenth-Century Britain

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  • Williamson, Jeffrey G.

Abstract

Although debate has raged ever since Marx and Engels openly condemned British capitalism in the 1840s, little hard evidence has been brought to bear on the issue of economic inequality. This paper estimates British earnings distributions for four years in the period 1827–1901. The evidence supports the view of increasing inequality up to mid-century and a leveling thereafter. Coupled with newly available evidence on British eighteenth- and nineteenth-century wealth and income distribution, these estimates equip us to search for explanations. A strategy for modeling British inequality history is suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1980. "Earnings Inequality in Nineteenth-Century Britain," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(3), pages 457-475, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:40:y:1980:i:03:p:457-475_08
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephan Heblich & Alex Trew & Yanos Zylberberg, 2021. "East-Side Story: Historical Pollution and Persistent Neighborhood Sorting," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(5), pages 1508-1552.
    2. Hanes, Christopher, 2010. "The rise and fall of the sliding scale, or why wages are no longer indexed to product prices," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 49-67, January.
    3. Chu, Angus C. & Peretto, Pietro F., 2023. "Innovation and inequality from stagnation to growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    4. Lu Han, 2019. "The Mutable Geography of Firms' International Trade: Evidence and Macroeconomic Implications," Working Papers 201909, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
    5. Andrew J. Seltzer, 2021. "Globalisation, migration, trade and growth: Honouring the contribution of Jeff Williamson to Australian and Asia‐Pacific economic history—Guest Editor's introduction," Australian Economic History Review, Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(2), pages 128-135, July.
    6. Liam Brunt & Cecilia García-Peñalosa, 2022. "Urbanisation and the Onset of Modern Economic Growth," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(642), pages 512-545.
    7. Chitralekha Basu & Carles Boix & Sonia Giurumescu & Paulo Serôdio, 2022. "Democratizing from Within: British Elites and the Expansion of the Franchise," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 139, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    8. Benjamin Schneider & Hillary Vipond, 2023. "The Past and Future of Work: How History Can Inform the Age of Automation," CESifo Working Paper Series 10766, CESifo.
    9. Krzysztof Karbownik & Anthony Wray, 2019. "Educational, Labor-market and Intergenerational Consequences of Poor Childhood Health," NBER Working Papers 26368, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Lawrence E. Raffalovich, 1988. "On Analyzing Earnings Inequality in Segmented Labor Markets," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 339-378, February.
    11. Seltzer, Andrew J., 2021. "Globalisation, migration, trade and growth: honouring the contribution of Jeff Williamson to Australian and Asia-Pacific economic history—Guest Editor's introduction," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 111038, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Schneider, Benjamin & Vipond, Hillary, 2023. "The past and future of work: how history can inform the age of automation," Economic History Working Papers 119282, London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History.

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