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Urban Disamenities, Dark Satanic Mills, and the British Standard of Living Debate

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  • Williamson, Jeffrey G.

Abstract

What were the economic costs of the disamenities that the British worker incurred when migrating to the city in the last century? How important were these costs in accounting for the higher nominal wages for unskilled work in the cities? How much of the rise in wages during the Industrial Revolution might therefore be spurious mismeasurement? This paper supplies some answers. Like the results on mid-twentieth-century growth by contemporary economists, the nineteenth-century estimates also suggest the disamenities' effects to be trivial.

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  • Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1981. "Urban Disamenities, Dark Satanic Mills, and the British Standard of Living Debate," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(1), pages 75-83, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:41:y:1981:i:01:p:75-83_04
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    Cited by:

    1. Dora L. Costa, 2015. "Health and the Economy in the United States from 1750 to the Present," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 53(3), pages 503-570, September.
    2. Andrea Brandolini & Giovanni Vecchi, 2011. "The Well-Being of Italians: A Comparative Historical Approach," Quaderni di storia economica (Economic History Working Papers) 19, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. Daniel H. Krymkowski, 2000. "The Puzzle Of Lenski'S Curve," Rationality and Society, , vol. 12(1), pages 25-38, February.
    4. Michail Raftakis, 2023. "Urban mortality in Greece: Hermoupolis (1859–1940)," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(3), pages 728-758, August.
    5. W. Walker Hanlon, 2016. "Coal Smoke and the Costs of the Industrial Revolution," NBER Working Papers 22921, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Clay, Karen & Lewis, Joshua & Severnini, Edson, 2024. "The historical impact of coal on cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    7. W. Walker Hanlon, 2015. "Pollution and Mortality in the 19th Century," NBER Working Papers 21647, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Broadberry, Stephen & Ghosal, Sayantan & Proto, Eugenio, 2017. "Anonymity, efficiency wages and technological progress," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 379-394.
    9. Benjamin Schneider, 2023. "Technological unemployment in the British industrial revolution: the destruction of hand spinning," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _207, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    10. Stanley L. Engerman, 1997. "The Standard of Living Debate in International Perspective: Measures and Indicators," NBER Chapters, in: Health and Welfare during Industrialization, pages 17-46, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Martinez-Carrion, Jose-Miguel & Moreno-Lazaro, Javier, 2007. "Was there an urban height penalty in Spain, 1840-1913?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 144-164, March.
    12. W Walker Hanlon, 2020. "Coal Smoke, City Growth, and the Costs of the Industrial Revolution," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(626), pages 462-488.
    13. 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.
    14. Artz, Georgeanne M. & Hoque, Maniul & Orazem, Peter F. & Shah, Urja, 2016. "Urban-Rural Wage Gaps, Inefficient Labor Allocations, and GDP per Capita," ISU General Staff Papers 201609140700001006, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    15. Lars Sandberg & Richard H. Steckel, 1997. "Was Industrialization Hazardous to Your Health? Not in Sweden!," NBER Chapters, in: Health and Welfare during Industrialization, pages 127-160, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Aránzazu Guillán Montero & David Le Blanc, 2019. "Lessons for Today from Past Periods of Rapid Technological Change," Working Papers 158, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    17. Paul Johnson & Stephen Nicholas, 1997. "Health and Welfare of Women in the United Kingdom, 1785-1920," NBER Chapters, in: Health and Welfare during Industrialization, pages 201-250, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. 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.
    19. Bourdieu, Jérôme & Reynaud, Bénédicte, 2002. "Factory discipline and externalities in the reduction of working time in the 19th century in France," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Couverture Orange) 0208, CEPREMAP.
    20. Joel Mokyr & Chris Vickers & Nicolas L. Ziebarth, 2015. "The History of Technological Anxiety and the Future of Economic Growth: Is This Time Different?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 31-50, Summer.

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