Inequality and Schooling Responses to Globalization Forces: Lessons from History

Jeffrey Williamson ()

No 12553, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In the first global century before 1914, trade and especially migration had profound effects on both low-wage, labor abundant Europe and the high-wage, labor scarce New World. Those global forces contributed to a reduction in unskilled labor scarcity in the New World and to a rise in unskilled labor scarcity in Europe. Thus, it contributed to rising inequality in overseas countries, like the United States, and falling inequality in most of Europe. Falling unskilled labor scarcity and rising skill scarcity contributed to the high school revolution in the US. Rising unskilled scarcity also contributed to the primary schooling and literacy revolution in Europe. Under what conditions would we expect the same responses to globalization in today’s world? This paper argues that modern debates about inequality and schooling responses to globalization should pay more attention to history.

JEL-codes: D3 F1 I2 J6 N3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-hrm, nep-int and nep-ltv
Note: DAE ED LS POL ITI
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Published as Jeffrey G. Williamson, 2006. "Inequality and schooling responses to globalization forces: lessons from history," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, pages 225-248.

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Working Paper: Inequality and Schooling Responses to Globalization Forces: Lessons from History (2006)
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