Labour market response to globalisation: Spain, 1880–1913

This paper analyses the impact of globalisation (trade and migration) on the Spanish labour market between 1880 and 1913 by examining the influence that globalisation factors had on agricultural and industrial wages. Our results show that the nineteenth century grain invasion had a negative impact on agricultural wages, whereas the fall in wheat prices did not benefit industry workers. We also found that migration pushed up real agricultural and industrial wages. As agriculture was the main sector in the economy, the final impact was a wage decrease. The negative impact of trade on agricultural and industrial labour markets partly explains the trade policy response of “integral protection”. However, other alternatives that would have been effective in raising living standards, such as migration policy, were not used.     

The Geography of Inventiveness in the Primary Sector: Some Initial Results for New Zealand, 1880–1895

At the turn of the twentieth century, New Zealand was one of the wealthiest nations in the world on a per capita basis. We examine the role of innovation in explaining New Zealand's economic performance. Using a new dataset on patent applications for the period 1880–95, we consider whether the geographical concentration of innovative activity influenced economic activity. We find relationships between agricultural and pastoral output indices and inventiveness and between different regions and related industries. The results, however, are relatively weak. We conclude that tests of agglomeration effects in New Zealand during this period deserve further attention.     

Government Policy and Industry Structure in New Zealand, 1900–1970

For much of the twentieth century industry policy in New Zealand has been torn between protecting the consumer while at the same time encouraging the growth of manufacturing. Early policy focused more on consumer welfare but with the Depression emphasis was increasingly placed on stimulating employment through protection and regulation. The Second World War fostered an increase in manufacturing employment that successive postwar governments, faced with balance of payments constraints, were unwilling to sacrifice for the benefits of a freer trade. The resource misallocation that resulted from such policies was subject to increasing criticism as growth rates were seen to falter. In the 1960s steps were taken to return to a more open and deregulated economy.