Previous wage studies of the period before World War I found that real wages remained stable from 1890 to 1914 despite the continued growth of the economy. This study indicates that this conclusion was based on faulty statistics. Using new estimates of money wages and a new cost-of-living index,...

Neoclassical wage theory is based on the premise that a worker's utility is based on his own wage and his own hours of work, without reference to the wages and hours of others. This article reviews anecdotal evidence that the wages of others are a powerful force in determining worker...