Joseph Ferrie - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Joseph Ferrie
The impact of circumstances early in life on later life outcomes in the U.S. can now be explored ... more The impact of circumstances early in life on later life outcomes in the U.S. can now be explored using data linking individuals from Social Security records back to the manuscript schedules of federal population censuses shortly after their birth. This allows us to assess the effect of individual, household, and community level influences on longevity. We find that these all had substantial affects on age at death, as did characteristics measured at enlistment into the U.S. Army in World War Two.
Explorations in Economic History, 2011
The link between circumstances faced by individuals early in life (including those encountered in... more The link between circumstances faced by individuals early in life (including those encountered in utero) and later life outcomes has been of increasing interest since the work of Barker in the 1970s on birth weight and adult disease. We provide such a life course perspective for the U.S. by following 45,000 individuals from the household where they resided before age
Assessing the impact of lead exposure is difficult if individuals select on the basis of their ch... more Assessing the impact of lead exposure is difficult if individuals select on the basis of their characteristics into environments with different exposure levels. We address this issue with data from when the dangers of lead exposure were still largely unknown, using new evidence on intelligence test scores for male World War Two U.S. Army enlistees linked to the households where
Understanding the link between early and later circumstances is vital to enhancing our understand... more Understanding the link between early and later circumstances is vital to enhancing our understanding of basic physiological, social, and econ omic mechanisms in operation ov er th e entire life course, to identifying the p rotective factors that mitigate the negative effects of some early life experiences, and to designing effective interventions that reduce the long-term costs of adverse early
Between 1850 and 1925, the crude death rate in Chicago fell by 60 percent, driven by reductions i... more Between 1850 and 1925, the crude death rate in Chicago fell by 60 percent, driven by reductions in infectious disease rates and infant and child mortality. What lessons might be drawn from the mortality transition in Chicago, and American cities more generally? What were the policies that had the greatest effect on infectious diseases and childhood mortality? Were there local
Economic models of disputes often assume that the rules of the game are well understood, and that... more Economic models of disputes often assume that the rules of the game are well understood, and that parties know,the possible consequences,of their actions. In this paper we show the apparently unintended consequences,of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes that took place in the late 1800s. This was a period of legal ferment in which labor and capital actively lobbied
Using longitudinal data on individual males linked between censuses separated by 30 years, we exa... more Using longitudinal data on individual males linked between censuses separated by 30 years, we examine patterns of geographic and occupational mobility in the last half of the nineteenth century for two industrializing economies: Britain (1851-81) and the U.S. (1850- 80). We find considerably higher rates of geographic mobility in the U.S. Though the frequency of moves was similar (roughly two
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into
The Economic Journal, 2007
Late nineteenth century intergenerational occupational mobility was higher in the US than in Brit... more Late nineteenth century intergenerational occupational mobility was higher in the US than in Britain. Differences between them in this type of mobility are absent today. Using data on 10,000 US and British father and son pairs followed over two intervals (the 1860s and 1870s, and the 1880s and 1890s), we examine how this convergence occurred. The US remained more mobile then Britain through 1900, but the difference fell over the last two decades of the nineteenth century (as British mobility rose) and was erased by the 1950s (as mobility fell by more in the US than in Britain).
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into the late nineteenth century using longitudinal data on 23,000 nationallyrepresentative British and U.S. fathers and sons. The U.S. was substantially more mobile then Britain through 1900, so in the experience of those who created the U.S. welfare state in the 1930s, the U.S. had indeed been "exceptional." The margin by which U.S. mobility exceeded British mobility was erased by the 1950s, as U.S. mobility fell compared to its nineteenth century levels.
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into
Empirical Studies in Institutional Change, 1996
ICPSR Data Holdings, 2000
Increased difficulty in moving up the farm job ladder came to be seen as a problem in the United ... more Increased difficulty in moving up the farm job ladder came to be seen as a problem in the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century as the fraction of farm operators who were owners fell. Concerns were voiced about the continued viability of American agriculture as the number of renters, sharecroppers, and laborers rose. Commentators feared for the quality of the soil and for the quality of the nation's farmers, as the "agricultural ladder" (the progression from laborer to cropper to renter to owner) seemingly became more difficult to ascend. Similar concerns motivate much of the interest in farm tenancy and land reform in developing countries today. In this paper we begin to address these issues. We use individual-level data for McLean County from the 1920 Census of Agriculture along with a uniquely detailed survey of farmers conducted in 1938 (both linked to the 1920 Census of Population) to explore the dynamics of the agricultural ladder. The surv...
The Journal of Economic History, 2000
This article examines the effects of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes in th... more This article examines the effects of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes in the late 1800s. This was a period of legal ferment in which worker organizations and employers actively lobbied state governments for changes in the rules governing labor disputes. Cross-state heterogeneity in the legal environment provides an unusual opportunity to investigate the effects of these laws. We use
The Journal of Economic History, 2005
The Journal of Economic History, 1985
We examine the role of southern legislators in resisting-the early expansion of the welfare state... more We examine the role of southern legislators in resisting-the early expansion of the welfare state in the 1930s. A desire to keep agricultural labor cheap and dependent on southern landlords motivated the resistance. Dependence promoted a loyal labor force and thereby reduced ...
American Economic Review, 2013
ABSTRACT The US tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is great... more ABSTRACT The US tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's, though they had roughly equal rates of intergenerational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into the nineteenth century using 10,000 nationally- representative British and US fathers and sons. The US was more mobile than Britain through 1900, so in the experience of those who created the US welfare state in the 1930s, the US had indeed been "exceptional." The US mobility lead over Britain was erased by the 1950s, as US mobility fell from its nineteenth century levels.
Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 2009
The impact of circumstances early in life on later life outcomes in the U.S. can now be explored ... more The impact of circumstances early in life on later life outcomes in the U.S. can now be explored using data linking individuals from Social Security records back to the manuscript schedules of federal population censuses shortly after their birth. This allows us to assess the effect of individual, household, and community level influences on longevity. We find that these all had substantial affects on age at death, as did characteristics measured at enlistment into the U.S. Army in World War Two.
Explorations in Economic History, 2011
The link between circumstances faced by individuals early in life (including those encountered in... more The link between circumstances faced by individuals early in life (including those encountered in utero) and later life outcomes has been of increasing interest since the work of Barker in the 1970s on birth weight and adult disease. We provide such a life course perspective for the U.S. by following 45,000 individuals from the household where they resided before age
Assessing the impact of lead exposure is difficult if individuals select on the basis of their ch... more Assessing the impact of lead exposure is difficult if individuals select on the basis of their characteristics into environments with different exposure levels. We address this issue with data from when the dangers of lead exposure were still largely unknown, using new evidence on intelligence test scores for male World War Two U.S. Army enlistees linked to the households where
Understanding the link between early and later circumstances is vital to enhancing our understand... more Understanding the link between early and later circumstances is vital to enhancing our understanding of basic physiological, social, and econ omic mechanisms in operation ov er th e entire life course, to identifying the p rotective factors that mitigate the negative effects of some early life experiences, and to designing effective interventions that reduce the long-term costs of adverse early
Between 1850 and 1925, the crude death rate in Chicago fell by 60 percent, driven by reductions i... more Between 1850 and 1925, the crude death rate in Chicago fell by 60 percent, driven by reductions in infectious disease rates and infant and child mortality. What lessons might be drawn from the mortality transition in Chicago, and American cities more generally? What were the policies that had the greatest effect on infectious diseases and childhood mortality? Were there local
Economic models of disputes often assume that the rules of the game are well understood, and that... more Economic models of disputes often assume that the rules of the game are well understood, and that parties know,the possible consequences,of their actions. In this paper we show the apparently unintended consequences,of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes that took place in the late 1800s. This was a period of legal ferment in which labor and capital actively lobbied
Using longitudinal data on individual males linked between censuses separated by 30 years, we exa... more Using longitudinal data on individual males linked between censuses separated by 30 years, we examine patterns of geographic and occupational mobility in the last half of the nineteenth century for two industrializing economies: Britain (1851-81) and the U.S. (1850- 80). We find considerably higher rates of geographic mobility in the U.S. Though the frequency of moves was similar (roughly two
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into
The Economic Journal, 2007
Late nineteenth century intergenerational occupational mobility was higher in the US than in Brit... more Late nineteenth century intergenerational occupational mobility was higher in the US than in Britain. Differences between them in this type of mobility are absent today. Using data on 10,000 US and British father and son pairs followed over two intervals (the 1860s and 1870s, and the 1880s and 1890s), we examine how this convergence occurred. The US remained more mobile then Britain through 1900, but the difference fell over the last two decades of the nineteenth century (as British mobility rose) and was erased by the 1950s (as mobility fell by more in the US than in Britain).
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into the late nineteenth century using longitudinal data on 23,000 nationallyrepresentative British and U.S. fathers and sons. The U.S. was substantially more mobile then Britain through 1900, so in the experience of those who created the U.S. welfare state in the 1930s, the U.S. had indeed been "exceptional." The margin by which U.S. mobility exceeded British mobility was erased by the 1950s, as U.S. mobility fell compared to its nineteenth century levels.
The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater... more The U.S. both tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's. These attitudes and beliefs help account for differences in the magnitude of redistribution through taxation and social welfare spending. In fact, the U.S. and Europe had roughly equal rates of inter-generational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into
Empirical Studies in Institutional Change, 1996
ICPSR Data Holdings, 2000
Increased difficulty in moving up the farm job ladder came to be seen as a problem in the United ... more Increased difficulty in moving up the farm job ladder came to be seen as a problem in the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century as the fraction of farm operators who were owners fell. Concerns were voiced about the continued viability of American agriculture as the number of renters, sharecroppers, and laborers rose. Commentators feared for the quality of the soil and for the quality of the nation's farmers, as the "agricultural ladder" (the progression from laborer to cropper to renter to owner) seemingly became more difficult to ascend. Similar concerns motivate much of the interest in farm tenancy and land reform in developing countries today. In this paper we begin to address these issues. We use individual-level data for McLean County from the 1920 Census of Agriculture along with a uniquely detailed survey of farmers conducted in 1938 (both linked to the 1920 Census of Population) to explore the dynamics of the agricultural ladder. The surv...
The Journal of Economic History, 2000
This article examines the effects of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes in th... more This article examines the effects of state-level legal innovations governing labor disputes in the late 1800s. This was a period of legal ferment in which worker organizations and employers actively lobbied state governments for changes in the rules governing labor disputes. Cross-state heterogeneity in the legal environment provides an unusual opportunity to investigate the effects of these laws. We use
The Journal of Economic History, 2005
The Journal of Economic History, 1985
We examine the role of southern legislators in resisting-the early expansion of the welfare state... more We examine the role of southern legislators in resisting-the early expansion of the welfare state in the 1930s. A desire to keep agricultural labor cheap and dependent on southern landlords motivated the resistance. Dependence promoted a loyal labor force and thereby reduced ...
American Economic Review, 2013
ABSTRACT The US tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is great... more ABSTRACT The US tolerates more inequality than Europe and believes its economic mobility is greater than Europe's, though they had roughly equal rates of intergenerational occupational mobility in the late twentieth century. We extend this comparison into the nineteenth century using 10,000 nationally- representative British and US fathers and sons. The US was more mobile than Britain through 1900, so in the experience of those who created the US welfare state in the 1930s, the US had indeed been "exceptional." The US mobility lead over Britain was erased by the 1950s, as US mobility fell from its nineteenth century levels.
Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 2009