Human development suggests that important learning occurs in early life, yet this insight is only beginning to be applied to the economics of education and skill. My research examines the interaction of changing family labour force participation rates in the industrial revolution and labour market outcomes in light of the fact that one year of school is not like every other in human developmental terms. Did the demand for child labour only limit access to school or did it change the timing and method of delivery? What are the larger implications here, if any, to the industrial revolution in Great Britain?
My research is generously supported by the Clarendon Fund.