Overview

Scholars have studied the nineteenth century's unprecedented labor flows in global and specific country contexts, but have lacked a comprehensive analysis of the world's old economic core, the Mediterranean. This work provides answers to important questions, such as: If the Mediterranean labor market really was integrated, then why did globalization affect the Western and Eastern Mediterranean so differently? Why did wage inequality rise in the East while it fell in the rest of the labor-abundant periphery? More broadly, was low emigration from Iberia and the East to blame for the Mediterranean's failed integration with the fast-expanding global economy? This ground-breaking research relates these questions to ongoing historical debates on the intensity of intra-Mediterranean integration in goods and labor, to current heated debates on North African emigration to Europe, and to discussions on European economic integration more generally.

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9781349486304

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Reviews

Mediterranean Labor Markets in the First Age of Globalization provides a worthwhile contribution to our understanding of the migration patterns of Mediterranean workers, highlighting both the causes and the consequences that such labor movements had for the region. ... It is a fine source not only for scholars working on the Mediterranean and the Middle East, but also for anyone interested in understanding more about the dynamics of labor markets during the first era of globalization. (Laura Panza, EH Net, eh.net, September, 2015) This fine study fills a significant gap in our understanding of the first age of globalization. We finally have a complete and new view of the Mediterranean. The research combines new real wage data for the Mediterranean countries, a rigorous theoretical approach, and a thoughtful knowledge of historical sources. The result is a solid piece of research worth reading. - Blanca Sanchez-Alonso, Professor of Economic History, CEU San Pablo University, Spain Understanding globalization's accomplishments and failures requires global information. Caruana Galizia has ingeniously expanded our view of migration, trade policy, transport costs, and wage inequality. Thanks to his pioneering efforts, we can compare experiences from all around the 'Great Sea,' now including Malta, Cyprus, Istanbul, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Gibraltar. - Peter H. Lindert, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of California, Davis, USA Using new data, lucid analysis, and beautiful writing, Caruana Galizia has written a brilliant account of labor markets and living standards in the Mediterranean during the first global century. Anyone interested in the region during the nineteenth century must read this book. - Jeffrey G. Williamson, Laird Bell Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Harvard University, USA; Honorary Fellow, Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

Author Information

Paul Caruana Galizia is a Marie Curie Early-Career Fellow in the Institute of Economic History at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.

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