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American Prices and Urban Inequality Since 1820

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  • Williamson, Jeffrey G.

Abstract

This article examines the forces that appear to have driven long-term trends in American urban inequality. The changing structure of consumer goods' prices is shown to have played a significant—but not dominant—role in every phase of increasing and decreasing nominal inequality from 1820 to 1929. The revealed symmetry in movement between the urban price and income structure suggests that a successful macro-distribution model must explain both historical phenomena. Finally, the article concludes that technological imbalance was a crucial element in shaping peacetime patterns of income distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1976. "American Prices and Urban Inequality Since 1820," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(2), pages 303-333, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:36:y:1976:i:02:p:303-333_08
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    Cited by:

    1. William Newell, 1980. "The Wealth of Testators and Its Distribution: Butler County, Ohio,1803-65," NBER Chapters, in: Modeling the Distribution and Intergenerational Transmission of Wealth, pages 95-138, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Robert William Fogel, 1990. "The Conquest of High Mortality and Hunger in Europe and America: Timing and Mechanisms," NBER Historical Working Papers 0016, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Robert W. Fogel, 1986. "Nutrition and the Decline in Mortality since 1700: Some Preliminary Findings," NBER Chapters, in: Long-Term Factors in American Economic Growth, pages 439-556, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Peishen Wu & Mei Liu, 2022. "A Framework for the Spatial Inequality in Urban Public Facility for Urban Planning, Design and Management," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Vincent Geloso & Peter Lindert, 2020. "Relative costs of living, for richer and poorer, 1688–1914," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 14(3), pages 417-442, September.
    6. Polak, Ben & Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1991. "Poverty, policy, and industrialization : lessons from the distant past," Policy Research Working Paper Series 645, The World Bank.

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