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On the relative conditions of the working classes in Britain and Germany, 1871-1938
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Broadberry, S. N. and Burhop, Carsten (2008) On the relative conditions of the working classes in Britain and Germany, 1871-1938. In: Invited Speaker : Munich Research Seminar, Munich, 01 Dec 2008 (Unpublished)
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Official URL: http://www.dynmod.vwl.uni-muenchen.de/forschungsse...
Abstract
We provide estimates of comparative real wages of German and British full-time equivalent workers for the period 1871-1938. Throughout the period, the average British worker was better off than the average German worker, but the scale of the British lead varied over time, and there were significant differences between major sectors. For the aggregate economy, comparative real wages reflected comparative labour productivity. However, compared to their productivity, German industrial workers were poorly paid, whereas German agricultural and service sector employees were overpaid. This affected the competitiveness of the two countries in these sectors. There were also differences in comparative real wages by skill level. Whilst most occupational groups were better paid in Britain, unskilled industrial workers were as badly paid in Britain as their German counterparts before World War I, and this helps to explain the persistence of large pockets of poverty in Europe’s highest wage economy at a time of full employment. This changed with the improvement in the position of unskilled workers across World War I, although poverty remained a problem in interwar Britain because of a sharp increase in unemployment.
Item Type: | Conference Item (Paper) | ||||
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Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics | ||||
Official Date: | 1 December 2008 | ||||
Dates: |
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Status: | Not Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Conference Paper Type: | Paper | ||||
Title of Event: | Invited Speaker : Munich Research Seminar | ||||
Type of Event: | Other | ||||
Location of Event: | Munich | ||||
Date(s) of Event: | 01 Dec 2008 |
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