Ian Gazeley | University of Sussex (original) (raw)

Papers by Ian Gazeley

Research paper thumbnail of British Historical Statistics : from Domesday to the Present. Vol. 2. Work and Welfare

Research paper thumbnail of Income and living standards

Russian Economic Reform, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of British Historical Statistics : from Domesday to the Present. Vol. 2. Work and Welfare

Research paper thumbnail of The First World War and Working-Class Food Consumption in Britain

Social Science Research Network, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Household structure, labour participation, and economic inequality in Britain, 1937–61

The Economic History Review, Mar 27, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of The end of destitution

Social Science Research Network, Jul 21, 2009

The paper presents a statistical generalisation, to working families in the whole of Britain, of ... more The paper presents a statistical generalisation, to working families in the whole of Britain, of Rowntree's finding that absolute poverty declined dramatically in York between 1899 and 1936. We use poverty lines devised by contemporary social investigators and two relatively newly-discovered data sets. We estimate an almost complete elimination of absolute poverty among working households for the whole of the Britain between 1904 and 1937. We offer a number of pieces of corroborative evidence that give support to our findings. We decompose the poverty reduction into the effects of two proximate causes, of roughly equal importance, the decline in family size and the rise of real wages. We conclude with some speculation about the deeper causes of the decline.

Research paper thumbnail of Escaping from hunger before WW1: the nutritional transition and living standards in Western Europe and USA in the late nineteenth century

Cliometrica

Using the US Commissioner of Labor household survey, we estimate calories available to workers’ h... more Using the US Commissioner of Labor household survey, we estimate calories available to workers’ households in USA, Belgium, Britain, France and Germany in 1888/90. We make raw comparisons of the data and utilise propensity score matching techniques to attempt to overcome differences between the nature of the country samples included in the original survey. We find that US households had on average 500 daily calories per capita more than French and Germans households, with the Belgians and British households closer to the USA. We ask if US workers had more energy for work, once likely differences in stature between national sub-samples are taken into account, and conclude it was a minor advantage. Finally, we ask if economic migration leads to taller children. We find that US-based British households were able to provide more calories than those in Britain in response to an additional child, so that, other things being equal, their children would grow taller.

Research paper thumbnail of The Poor and the Poorest, fifty years on: Evidence from British Household Expenditure Surveys of the 1950s and 1960s

Research Papers in Economics, Apr 1, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Income and living standards, 1870–2010

The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Unemployment and Poverty in Britain between the Wars

Poverty in Britain, 1900–1965, 2003

Following the closure of Palmer’s shipyard, 200 men from Jarrow marched to London in order to pet... more Following the closure of Palmer’s shipyard, 200 men from Jarrow marched to London in order to petition Parliament so that the government would ‘… realise the urgent need that work should be provided for the town without delay’.437 Photographs of the 1936 Jarrow march are one of the most enduring icons of the interwar years. Keith Joseph probably had this kind of image in mind when he favourably contrasted the ‘gaunt, tight-lipped men in caps and mufflers of the 1930s’, with the unemployed of the early 1970s.438 The interwar period has become synonymous with mass unemployment, although paradoxically, it was also a time of relative economic prosperity for some Britons. in these years, despite unprecedented high unemployment, the economy grew at a modest rate, living standards improved for those with work and new consumer goods became available that enhanced leisure activity and lessened some of the drudgery of domestic chores. in interwar Britain, many homes and factories were electrified; the ownership of wireless sets became commonplace and the growth in ownership of motor cars transformed social life for those wealthy enough to own them. For the middle classes, and for some sections of the working classes, the modernity of the interwar period was as important as persistent joblessness was for those excluded from the benefits of economic progress. This dichotomy of experience is perhaps best summed up by the phrase ‘poverty and progress’, which, as we have seen, was the title chosen by Rowntree for his second social survey of York in 1936. This chapter will investigate the extent to which unemployment was a cause of poverty and the efficacy of the state response to increased numbers of people who were workless.

Research paper thumbnail of The Household Budget Survey in Western Europe, 1795-1965

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Escaping from Hunger Before WW1: Nutrition and Living Standards in Western Europe and USA in the Late Nineteenth Century

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of of LaborUrban Working-Class Food Consumption and Nutrition in Britain in 1904

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published i... more Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the intereste...

Research paper thumbnail of How hungry were the poor in late 1930s Britain?†

The Economic History Review, 2021

This article reexamines energy and nutrition available to British workingclass households in the ... more This article reexamines energy and nutrition available to British workingclass households in the late 1930s using individual household expenditure and consumption data. We use these data to address a number of questions. First, what was the extent of malnutrition in late 1930s Britain? Second, how did the incidence change over time? Third, what were the nutritional consequences of the school meals and school milk schemes? We conclude that, for working households, energy and nutritional availability improved significantly compared with current estimates of availability before the First World War. These improvements were not equally shared, however. In the late 1930s, homes with an unemployed head of household had diets that provided around 20 per cent less energy than their working counterparts and female-headed households had diets that provided around 10 per cent fewer kcal per capita than the average male-headed household. The availability of most macroand micronutrients showed similar relative reductions. State interventions designed to improve diet and nutrition, such as school meals and school milk, made children's diets significantly healthier, even if they did not eliminate macro-and micronutrient deficiencies completely. Not surprisingly, they made the greatest difference to children in households where the head of household was unemployed.

Research paper thumbnail of The Nature and Causes of Poverty, 1900–18

Poverty in Britain, 1900–1965, 2003

Having established the parameters of empirical poverty investigation and the behaviour of real in... more Having established the parameters of empirical poverty investigation and the behaviour of real incomes, it is now appropriate to consider the causes of poverty as revealed by contemporary social investigation. Most surveys thought that poverty was due to a variety of reasons, including low or irregular wages, large family size, illness or incapacity, old age and unemployment. A large number of dietary surveys were also undertaken during this period. These analysed the nutritional content of household diet and compared the outcome with the values in contemporary dietary standards. Although conceptually distinct, in many respects, this approach shares much in common with the poverty-line primary poverty measure (see Introduction, pp. 1–2). Both require estimates of dietary consumption and comparison with an extrinsic standard and both rely upon the use of equivalence scales.

Research paper thumbnail of Latin American Household Budget Surveys 1913-1970 and What They Tell Us About Economic Inequality Among Households

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality Among European Working Households, 1890-1960

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Why was urban overcrowding much more severe in Scotland than in the rest of the British Isles? Evidence from the first (1904) official household expenditure survey

European Review of Economic History, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The first poverty line? Davies' and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in the late 18th-century England

Explorations in Economic History, 2014

The first poverty line? Davies and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in late 18 th-century En... more The first poverty line? Davies and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in late 18 th-century England

Research paper thumbnail of Nutrition in Interwar Britain: A Possible Resolution of the Healthy or Hungry 1930s Debate?

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of British Historical Statistics : from Domesday to the Present. Vol. 2. Work and Welfare

Research paper thumbnail of Income and living standards

Russian Economic Reform, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of British Historical Statistics : from Domesday to the Present. Vol. 2. Work and Welfare

Research paper thumbnail of The First World War and Working-Class Food Consumption in Britain

Social Science Research Network, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of Household structure, labour participation, and economic inequality in Britain, 1937–61

The Economic History Review, Mar 27, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of The end of destitution

Social Science Research Network, Jul 21, 2009

The paper presents a statistical generalisation, to working families in the whole of Britain, of ... more The paper presents a statistical generalisation, to working families in the whole of Britain, of Rowntree's finding that absolute poverty declined dramatically in York between 1899 and 1936. We use poverty lines devised by contemporary social investigators and two relatively newly-discovered data sets. We estimate an almost complete elimination of absolute poverty among working households for the whole of the Britain between 1904 and 1937. We offer a number of pieces of corroborative evidence that give support to our findings. We decompose the poverty reduction into the effects of two proximate causes, of roughly equal importance, the decline in family size and the rise of real wages. We conclude with some speculation about the deeper causes of the decline.

Research paper thumbnail of Escaping from hunger before WW1: the nutritional transition and living standards in Western Europe and USA in the late nineteenth century

Cliometrica

Using the US Commissioner of Labor household survey, we estimate calories available to workers’ h... more Using the US Commissioner of Labor household survey, we estimate calories available to workers’ households in USA, Belgium, Britain, France and Germany in 1888/90. We make raw comparisons of the data and utilise propensity score matching techniques to attempt to overcome differences between the nature of the country samples included in the original survey. We find that US households had on average 500 daily calories per capita more than French and Germans households, with the Belgians and British households closer to the USA. We ask if US workers had more energy for work, once likely differences in stature between national sub-samples are taken into account, and conclude it was a minor advantage. Finally, we ask if economic migration leads to taller children. We find that US-based British households were able to provide more calories than those in Britain in response to an additional child, so that, other things being equal, their children would grow taller.

Research paper thumbnail of The Poor and the Poorest, fifty years on: Evidence from British Household Expenditure Surveys of the 1950s and 1960s

Research Papers in Economics, Apr 1, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Income and living standards, 1870–2010

The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Unemployment and Poverty in Britain between the Wars

Poverty in Britain, 1900–1965, 2003

Following the closure of Palmer’s shipyard, 200 men from Jarrow marched to London in order to pet... more Following the closure of Palmer’s shipyard, 200 men from Jarrow marched to London in order to petition Parliament so that the government would ‘… realise the urgent need that work should be provided for the town without delay’.437 Photographs of the 1936 Jarrow march are one of the most enduring icons of the interwar years. Keith Joseph probably had this kind of image in mind when he favourably contrasted the ‘gaunt, tight-lipped men in caps and mufflers of the 1930s’, with the unemployed of the early 1970s.438 The interwar period has become synonymous with mass unemployment, although paradoxically, it was also a time of relative economic prosperity for some Britons. in these years, despite unprecedented high unemployment, the economy grew at a modest rate, living standards improved for those with work and new consumer goods became available that enhanced leisure activity and lessened some of the drudgery of domestic chores. in interwar Britain, many homes and factories were electrified; the ownership of wireless sets became commonplace and the growth in ownership of motor cars transformed social life for those wealthy enough to own them. For the middle classes, and for some sections of the working classes, the modernity of the interwar period was as important as persistent joblessness was for those excluded from the benefits of economic progress. This dichotomy of experience is perhaps best summed up by the phrase ‘poverty and progress’, which, as we have seen, was the title chosen by Rowntree for his second social survey of York in 1936. This chapter will investigate the extent to which unemployment was a cause of poverty and the efficacy of the state response to increased numbers of people who were workless.

Research paper thumbnail of The Household Budget Survey in Western Europe, 1795-1965

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Escaping from Hunger Before WW1: Nutrition and Living Standards in Western Europe and USA in the Late Nineteenth Century

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of of LaborUrban Working-Class Food Consumption and Nutrition in Britain in 1904

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published i... more Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the intereste...

Research paper thumbnail of How hungry were the poor in late 1930s Britain?†

The Economic History Review, 2021

This article reexamines energy and nutrition available to British workingclass households in the ... more This article reexamines energy and nutrition available to British workingclass households in the late 1930s using individual household expenditure and consumption data. We use these data to address a number of questions. First, what was the extent of malnutrition in late 1930s Britain? Second, how did the incidence change over time? Third, what were the nutritional consequences of the school meals and school milk schemes? We conclude that, for working households, energy and nutritional availability improved significantly compared with current estimates of availability before the First World War. These improvements were not equally shared, however. In the late 1930s, homes with an unemployed head of household had diets that provided around 20 per cent less energy than their working counterparts and female-headed households had diets that provided around 10 per cent fewer kcal per capita than the average male-headed household. The availability of most macroand micronutrients showed similar relative reductions. State interventions designed to improve diet and nutrition, such as school meals and school milk, made children's diets significantly healthier, even if they did not eliminate macro-and micronutrient deficiencies completely. Not surprisingly, they made the greatest difference to children in households where the head of household was unemployed.

Research paper thumbnail of The Nature and Causes of Poverty, 1900–18

Poverty in Britain, 1900–1965, 2003

Having established the parameters of empirical poverty investigation and the behaviour of real in... more Having established the parameters of empirical poverty investigation and the behaviour of real incomes, it is now appropriate to consider the causes of poverty as revealed by contemporary social investigation. Most surveys thought that poverty was due to a variety of reasons, including low or irregular wages, large family size, illness or incapacity, old age and unemployment. A large number of dietary surveys were also undertaken during this period. These analysed the nutritional content of household diet and compared the outcome with the values in contemporary dietary standards. Although conceptually distinct, in many respects, this approach shares much in common with the poverty-line primary poverty measure (see Introduction, pp. 1–2). Both require estimates of dietary consumption and comparison with an extrinsic standard and both rely upon the use of equivalence scales.

Research paper thumbnail of Latin American Household Budget Surveys 1913-1970 and What They Tell Us About Economic Inequality Among Households

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Inequality Among European Working Households, 1890-1960

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Research paper thumbnail of Why was urban overcrowding much more severe in Scotland than in the rest of the British Isles? Evidence from the first (1904) official household expenditure survey

European Review of Economic History, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The first poverty line? Davies' and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in the late 18th-century England

Explorations in Economic History, 2014

The first poverty line? Davies and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in late 18 th-century En... more The first poverty line? Davies and Eden's investigation of rural poverty in late 18 th-century England

Research paper thumbnail of Nutrition in Interwar Britain: A Possible Resolution of the Healthy or Hungry 1930s Debate?

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research pu... more Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.