During the last third of the eighteenth century, most parishes in rural southern England adopted policies providing poor relief outside workhouses to unemployed and underemployed able-bodied labourers. The debate over the economic effects of 'outdoor' relief payments to able-bodied workers has continued for over 200 years. This book examines the economic role of the Poor Law in the rural south of England. It presents a model of the agricultural labour market that provides explanations for the widespread adoption of outdoor relief policies, the persistence of such policies until the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, and the sharp regional differences in the administration of relief. The book challenges many commonly held beliefs about the Poor Law and concludes that the adoption of outdoor relief for able-bodied paupers was a rational response by politically dominant farmers to changes in the rural economic environment.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The late eighteenth century saw a significant increase in relief generosity for able-bodied paupers under the Poor Law of 1597. This book examines the political motivation, regional variations and the economic and demographic impact of relief until its abolition in 1834.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not for the specialist historian,
By A Customer
This review is from: An Economic History of the English Poor Law, 1750-1850 (Hardcover)
Professor Boyer has written a fine historical account. This book is well worth the attention of those studying eighteenth or nineteenth century British economic and social history at the first degree level.However, I am sure that the specialist can pick holes in the broad canvas. I would also like to correct the previous reviewer. Both Humphreys and Englander have written on the 1834 Poor Law Reforms. I think it is the reviewer who should "not assume anything." I would also suggest that he/she read his/her uncle's book.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not Worth Reading,
By A Customer
This review is from: An Economic History of the English Poor Law, 1750-1850 (Hardcover)
This book is certainly not the best historical account of the English Poor Laws by any means. Instead, I highly recommend those written by Robert Humphreys of the London School of Economics and David Englander. Cornell University Professor George Boyer should peruse the hypotheses offered by these scholars.
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First Sentence:
During the last third of the eighteenth century, several changes took place in the administration of poor relief, the most important of which was the widespread provision of relief outside the workhouse to able-bodied laborers who were unemployed or underemployed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
capita relief expenditures, relief expenditure data, poor relief subsidy, real relief expenditures, hiring taxpayers, nonresident relief, outdoor relief policies, rural southern parishes, child allowance policies, capita poor relief expenditures, parish taxpayers, disamenities premium, southern agricultural laborers, relief generosity, southeastern parishes, granting outdoor relief, roundsman system, unemployed agricultural laborers, labor misallocation, hiring farmers, annual wage income, industrial northwest, agricultural parishes, implicit labor contracts, most rural parishes Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rural Queries, Royal Commission, East Anglia, West Riding, Settlement Law, Select Committee, Lady Day, Arthur Young, Statistic Prob, Gilbert's Act, Essex Record Office, Karl Polanyi, Napoleonic Wars, Anne Digby, Act of Parliament, Bedford Record Office, Captain Swing, Daniel Baugh, Joel Mokyr, Mark Blaug New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
During the last third of the eighteenth century, several changes took place in the administration of poor relief, the most important of which was the widespread provision of relief outside the workhouse to able-bodied laborers who were unemployed or underemployed. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
capita relief expenditures, relief expenditure data, poor relief subsidy, real relief expenditures, hiring taxpayers, nonresident relief, outdoor relief policies, rural southern parishes, child allowance policies, capita poor relief expenditures, parish taxpayers, disamenities premium, southern agricultural laborers, relief generosity, southeastern parishes, granting outdoor relief, roundsman system, unemployed agricultural laborers, labor misallocation, hiring farmers, annual wage income, industrial northwest, agricultural parishes, implicit labor contracts, most rural parishes Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rural Queries, Royal Commission, East Anglia, West Riding, Settlement Law, Select Committee, Lady Day, Arthur Young, Statistic Prob, Gilbert's Act, Essex Record Office, Karl Polanyi, Napoleonic Wars, Anne Digby, Act of Parliament, Bedford Record Office, Captain Swing, Daniel Baugh, Joel Mokyr, Mark Blaug New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 59
books:
See all 59 books this book cites
- Miniset B. Economic History (Routledge Library Editions: The Economics) by G.C. Allen on 5 pages
- The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time by Karl Polanyi on 4 pages
- The Village Labourer by J.L. Hammond on 4 pages
- A Dissertation on the Poor Laws by Joseph Townsend on page 52, page 59, and Back Matter
- A History of the English Agricultural Labourer (Reprints of Economic Classics) by W. Hasbach on page 66, page 205, and Back Matter
See all 59 books this book cites
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