The Impact of Public Transportation and Commuting on Urban Labour Markets: Evidence from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, 1929-32

Andrew Seltzer () and Jonathan Wadsworth
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Andrew Seltzer: Royal Holloway, University of London

No 14628, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper examines the consequences of the commuter transport revolution on working class labour markets in 1930s London. The ability to commute alleviated urban crowding and increased workers’ choice of potential employers. Using GIS-based data constructed from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, we examine the extent of commuting and estimate the earnings returns to commuting. We obtain a lower-bound estimate of two percent increase in earnings per kilometer travelled. We also show that commuting was an important contributor to improving quality of life in the early-twentieth century.

Keywords: public transportation; New Survey of London Life and Labour; GIS; earnings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J39 N34 N94 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 75 pages
Date: 2021-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-isf, nep-lma, nep-tre and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Explorations in Economic History, 2024, 91, 101553.

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Related works:
Working Paper: The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the new survey of London life and labour, 1929-32 (2022)
Working Paper: The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the new survey of London life and labour, 1929-32 (2022)
Working Paper: The impact of public transportation and commuting on urban labour markets: evidence from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, 1929-32 (2021)
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