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The Long March of History: Farm Wages, Population and Economic Growth, England 1209-1869

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  • Gregory Clark

    (Department of Economics, University of California Davis)

Abstract

The paper forms three series for English farm workers 1209-1869: nominal daywages, the implied marginal product of a day of farm labour, and thepurchasing power of a days? wage in terms of farm workers? consumption.These series suggest that labour productivity in English agriculture was alreadyhigh in the middle ages. Further they fit well with one method of estimatingmedieval population which suggests a peak English population circa 1300 ofnearly 6 million. Finally they imply that both agricultural technology and thegeneral efficiency of the economy was static from 1250 till 1600. Economicchanges were in these years entirely a product of demographic shifts. Finallyin 1600 to 1800 technological advance in agriculture provided an alternativesource of dynamism in the English economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory Clark, 2005. "The Long March of History: Farm Wages, Population and Economic Growth, England 1209-1869," Working Papers 170, University of California, Davis, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:cda:wpaper:170
    as

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    File URL: https://repec.dss.ucdavis.edu/files/L71LS9GZM8M3dbFqAwNMpP9h/05-40.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karakacili, Eona, 2004. "English Agrarian Labor Productivity Rates Before the Black Death: A Case Study," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 64(1), pages 24-60, March.
    2. Clark, Gregory & Clark, Anthony, 2001. "Common Rights To Land In England, 1475–1839," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(4), pages 1009-1036, December.
    3. John Munro, 2002. "Postan, Population, and Prices in Late-Medieval England and Flanders," Working Papers munro-02-04, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    4. Clark, Gregory, 1991. "Labor productivity and farm size in English agriculture before mechanization: A note," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 248-257, April.
    5. Davenport, Frances Gardiner, 1906. "The Economic Development of a Norfolk Manor 1086-1565," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number davenport1906.
    6. Allen, Robert C., 2000. "Economic structure and agricultural productivity in Europe, 1300–1800," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 1-25, April.
    7. Munro, John H., 2002. "Wage-stickiness, monetary changes, and real incomes in late-medieval England and the Low Countries, 1300 - 1500: did money matter?," MPRA Paper 10846, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Sep 2002.
    8. J. Z. Titow, 1961. "Some Evidence of the Thirteenth Century Population Increase," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 14(2), pages 218-224, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    farm wages; economic wages;

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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