Considering the Counterfactual: Real Wages in the First Industrial Revolution

A-Tier
Journal: Economic Journal
Year: 2022
Volume: 132
Issue: 645
Pages: 1994-2006

Authors (2)

Nicholas Crafts Terence C Mills (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We investigate a structural model of demographic-economic interactions for England during 1570 to 1850. We estimate that the annual rate of population growth consistent with constant real wages was 0.4% before 1760 but 1.5% thereafter. We find that exogenous shocks increased population growth dramatically in the early decades of the Industrial Revolution. Simulations of our model show that if these demographic shocks had occurred before the Industrial Revolution the impact on real wages would have been catastrophic and that these shocks were largely responsible for very slow growth of real wages during the Industrial Revolution.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:econjl:v:132:y:2022:i:645:p:1994-2006
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-02-09