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

76 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2022

See all articles by Andrew Seltzer

Andrew Seltzer

University of London, Royal Holloway College - Department of Economics

Joanthan Wadsworth

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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Abstract

This paper examines the consequences of the commuter transport revolution on working-class labour markets in London, circa 1930. 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 show that commuting was an important feature for the majority of working-class Londoners in the early-twentieth century. Using alternative identification strategies, we estimate a likely causal return of between 1.5 to 3.5 percent of earnings for each additional kilometer travelled. We also show that commuting was an important contributor to improvements in quality of life in the early-twentieth century.

Keywords: labor markets, commuting, public transport, earnings, London

Suggested Citation

Seltzer, Andrew and Wadsworth, Joanthan, The Impact of Public Transportation and Commuting on Urban Labour Markets: Evidence from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, 1929-32. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4168510 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4168510

Andrew Seltzer (Contact Author)

University of London, Royal Holloway College - Department of Economics ( email )

Royal Holloway College
Egham
Surrey, Surrey TW20 0EX
United Kingdom

Joanthan Wadsworth

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

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