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The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the new survey of London life and labour, 1929-32

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  • Andrew Seltzer
  • Jonathan Wadsworth

Abstract

This paper examines the consequences of the commuter transport revolution on working-class labour markets in London, circa 1930. Using GIS-based data constructed from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, we examine the extent of commuting and estimate the earnings returns to commuting. We show that commuting was an important feature for most working-class Londoners in the early-twentieth century. Using a variety of identifying procedures to address the endogeneity of distance commuted, we estimate a likely causal return of between 1.5 to 3.5 percent of earnings for each additional kilometre travelled. We also show that commuting was an important contributor to improvements in quality of life in the early-twentieth century.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Seltzer & Jonathan Wadsworth, 2022. "The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the new survey of London life and labour, 1929-32," CEP Discussion Papers dp1868, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp1868
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Luca Zamparini & Aura Reggiani, 2007. "Meta-Analysis and the Value of Travel Time Savings: A Transatlantic Perspective in Passenger Transport," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 7(4), pages 377-396, December.
    2. Leunig, Timothy, 2006. "Time is Money: A Re-Assessment of the Passenger Social Savings from Victorian British Railways," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 66(3), pages 635-673, September.
    3. Daniels, Rhonda & Mulley, Corinne, 2013. "Explaining walking distance to public transport: The dominance of public transport supply," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 6(2), pages 5-20.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ivan Luzardo-Luna, 2022. "Regional Employment Polarization in a Time of Crisis: The case of Interwar Britain," PIER Working Paper Archive 22-025, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    commuting; public transport; earnings; London;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N94 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: 1913-
    • J39 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Other
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-

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