Economic inequality and social mobility in preindustrial societies: What we know, what we don't (but should) know

Guido Alfani

Economic History Review, 2026, vol. 79, issue 3, 871-899

Abstract: In recent years economic inequality has become a major research topic in economic history. However, much remains to be done to complete our knowledge of long‐term distributive dynamics. This article highlights several promising avenues for future research, focusing on the preindustrial period. In particular, it identifies the main gaps that still need to be filled in reconstructions of wealth and income distributions; it argues for a closer interaction between scholars working on economic inequality and those working on historical gross domestic product (GDP); and it highlights socio‐economic mobility as a closely related, but much less explored, research area. Shifting the focus from inequality to mobility, and more generally considering how human agency helped shape the aggregate long‐term dynamics we observe, requires examining individual actors and their specific motivations more closely. This is especially true for the socio‐economic elites who, when faced with a perceived threat of status loss, could attempt to capture political institutions, thus securing their control over valuable public resources, whilst at the same time acting as ‘enemies of mobility’. The article also highlights how this kind of research speaks directly to current societal concerns.

Date: 2026
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