Full Citation
Title: Unions, Pellagra, and Schools in American Economic Development
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2017
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI:
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: This dissertation consists of three chapters. In each chapter I attempt to answer a question that pertains to the development of the American economy and also appeals to a general interest audience. I answer these questions in as straightforward of a manner as I deem possible and, when appropriate, I eschew technical details in favor of intuition. The first chapter of this dissertation sets out to answer one of the most enduring and contentious questions in the social sciences: why is the American labor movement so weak relative to other countries? In the spirit of Olson (1965), I build and test a model of labor union formation and activity, and, in the process, put forth industrial structure (particularly firm size) as a new explanation for the relative weakness of the American labor movement. The second chapter of this dissertation (co-authored with Karen Clay and Werner Troesken) addresses another enduring question in economic history and development: does cash cropping, and the commercialization of agriculture more generally, adversely affect nutrition? We use pellagra, a disease caused by a niacin deficiency, to study the impact of cash cropping on nutrition. Our work shows that cash cropping can displace local food production and set inmotion nutritional deficits that have long-term consequences not only for health but also for socioeconomic status. The third chapter of this dissertation (co-authored with Allison Shertzer) addresses a controversial question in labor and education economics: do school resources improve educational and labor market outcomes? We exploit the first large expansion in school resources, which occurred between 1900 and 1930, when expenditures per student almost doubled, student teacher ratios decreased by 20% and teacher salaries increased by a third. We find that increasing per pupil spending did, indeed, increase wages later in life. However, we find little evidence that increases in per pupil spending increased educational attainment.
Url: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/32517/1/Schmick - ETD.pdf
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Schmick, Ethan
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Department: Economics
Advisor:
Degree:
Publisher Location:
Pages: 1-179
Data Collections: IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data
Topics: Education
Countries: United States