Income Distribution in Historical Perspective

by Y. S. Brenner, Hartmut Kaelble, Mark Thomas

Overview

In this volume a distinguished team of international contributors consider some of the central long-term issues raised by the problem of income distribution. The Kuznets curve—i.e. the notion that income distribution became increasingly unequal during the period of industrialization, and progressively less unequal during the twentieth century—lies at the center of much of the analysis, and its relevance is discussed in a wide-ranging series of articles covering the British, Belgian, German, Australian, Austrian and American experiences. This volume is the first in many years to take such a broad, comparative approach to income distribution, and makes an important and authoritative contribution to an area of perennial debate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521356473
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/03/1991
Pages:	278
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.75(d)

Table of Contents

List of figures; List of tables; Preface; 1. Introduction Hartmut Kaelble and Mark Thomas; 2. British inequality during the Industrial Revolution: accounting for the Kuznets curve Jeffrey G. Williamson; 3. Wage differentials in Sweden, 1725–1950 Johan Söderberg; 4. Industrial wage differentials in nineteenth-century Belgium Peter Scholliers; 5. Income inequality and industrialization in Germany, 1850–1913: the Kuznets hypothesis re-examined Rolf Dumke; 6. The evolution of inequality in Australia in the nineteenth century Mark Thomas; 7. Gainful occupations and the inequality of pay: Vienna, 1780–1980 Michael Wagner; 8. The distributional impact of the depression in the United States Ian W. McLean; 9. Toward a comparative history of income and wealth inequality Peter H. Lindert; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"All in all, this book makes good reading for those interested in economic history, in problems of income distribution (theory or measurement), or, better yet, in both." Journal of Comparative Economics

From the Publisher