Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Discussion Paper Series in Economics,
Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics
No 9/2013: The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: the English Corn Returns as a data source in economic history, 1770-1914.
Liam Brunt () and Edmund Cannon ()
Additional contact information
Liam Brunt: Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Postal: NHH , Department of Economics, Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen, Norway
Edmund Cannon: University of Bristol, Postal: School of Economics, Finance and Management, University of Bristol , 8 Woodland Road, , Bristol BS8 1TN, , England
Abstract: From 1770 to 1914, the British Government collected weekly price and quantity data for all types of grain traded in many market towns; these ‘Corn Returns’ were published in the London Gazette. We computerised the data published 1770-1864, totalling around 6 million data points. Here we describe the nature of these data; discuss why, when and how they were collected; consider their accuracy and biases; describe how we computerised them; and offer caveats in using these – and similar – data. We highlight the problem of drawing valid inferences in the face of price impact from fluctuating grain quality and rising imports.
Keywords: Grain prices; market institutions; data collection
30 pages, April 18, 2013
Full text files
09.pdf
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