Mosley, P. and Ingham, B. (2013) Fighting discrimination: W. Arthur Lewis and the dual economy of Manchester in the 1950s. Working Paper. Department of Economics, University of Sheffield ISSN 1749-8368
Abstract
We document, for the first time, the institution-building activities of the development economist W.Arthur Lewis (1915-1991) as founder of Community House and the South Hulme Evening Centre, two further education centres which sought to fight discrimination against the Afro-Caribbean communities of Manchester in the 1950s. We depict the struggle by Afro-Caribbeans to achieve a decent standard of living (and to escape from the ‘subsistence economy’ which provides the basis for Lewis’ most famous model) as a game of snakes and ladders in which the two main potential ladders out of poverty are first, the ability to generate nonwage income through self-employment and second, ‘vertical social capital’, i.e. membership of social networks of a kind which gave the employee the ability to fight back against discrimination. The most imaginative aspect of Lewis’s design for his further education centres is his incorporation of activities which build vertical social capital alongside conventional vocational training. Using a bargaining model to understand the ability of Afro-Caribbeans to resist discrimination, we find that Lewis’ social centres had a significant positive impact on Afro-Caribbean income and poverty levels. Through a merger between Community House and the West Indian Sports and Social Club, Lewis helped to create an innovative institution which has endured through to the present.
Metadata
Item Type: | Monograph |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | The Sheffield Economics Research Paper (SERP) series offers a forum for the research output of the academic staff and research students of the Department of Economics, University of Sheffield. Papers are reviewed for quality and presentation by a departmental editor. However, the contents and opinions expressed remain the responsibility of the authors. All papers may be downloaded free on the understanding that the contents are preliminary and therefore permission from the author(s) should be sought before they are referenced. |
Keywords: | Sir Arthur Lewis(1915-1991); Manchester; racial discrimination; inner cities; |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Economics (Sheffield) > Sheffield Economics Research Papers Series |
Depositing User: | Miss Anthea Tucker |
Date Deposited: | 09 Apr 2013 09:01 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jun 2014 10:46 |
Published Version: | http://www.shef.ac.uk/economics/research/serps/yea... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Department of Economics, University of Sheffield |
Identification Number: | 2013006 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:75384 |