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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

Seltzer, Andrew J. and Wadsworth, Jonathan (2021) The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, 1929-32. Economic History Working Papers (331). Department of Economic History, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

This paper examines the consequences of the commuter transport revolution on working class labour markets in 1930s London. The ability to commute alleviated urban crowding and increased workers’ choice of potential employers. 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 obtain a lowerbound estimate of two percent increase in earnings per kilometre travelled. We also show that commuting was an important contributor to improving quality of life in the early-twentieth century.

Item Type: Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-History/Working-Pap...
Additional Information: © 2021 The Authors
Divisions: LSE
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification: N - Economic History > N3 - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income, and Wealth > N34 - Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income and Wealth: Europe: 1913-
N - Economic History > N9 - Regional and Urban History > N94 - Europe: 1913-
J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs > J31 - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials by Skill, Training, Occupation, etc.
Date Deposited: 13 Sep 2021 07:48
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2023 23:54
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/111900

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