We are pleased to announce an upcoming seminar with Jane Humphries, Professor of economic history at Oxford University. The seminar is titled: “Respectable Standards of Living: The Alternative Lens of Board and Lodging Costs, Britain 1270-1860” and is organized by ULB and VUB within the framework of Brussels Seminar in Economic and Social History.
Attendance is free, but subscription is mandatory. In order to download the flyer with details and information on subscription, please click on the following link:
Seminar with Jane Humphries (March 13th 2023) (158.36 KB) "pdf"
Abstract
This paper argues that the cost of living respectably can be measured by what it cost to board and lodge the reputable. The methodology allows for changes in the composition of consumption, the introduction of new goods, and the inclusion of the costs of the household services needed to turn commodities into livings. Over 4300 observations, drawn mainly from primary sources, trace levels and trends in board and lodging costs for Britain, 1270-1860. Used to deflate wage series, the board and lodging costs provide an alternative account of long-run trends in living standards which can be compared with conventional welfare ratios.