Geography is not destiny: geography, institutions and literacy in England, 1837–63

Gregory Clark and Rowena Gray

Oxford Economic Papers, 2014, vol. 66, issue 4, 1042-1069

Abstract: Geography made rural society in the southeast of England unequal. Economies of scale in grain growing created a farmer elite and many landless labourers. In the pastoral northwest, in contrast, family farms dominated, with few hired labourers and modest income disparities. Did this geography driven difference in social structure influence educational outcomes in England 1810–45? Using new micro-level data we show that this geographically driven inequality is not a strong predictor of regional literacy rates. We conclude that regional literacy differences seem to have been influenced more by culture. In particular, areas in northern England with more exposure to the highly literate Scottish society seem to have acquired a higher demand for education, independent of local inequality. Geography is not destiny.

Date: 2014
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