Book Chapter

Social and economic mobility in preindustrial Europe

  • Guido Alfani

This article surveys and discusses the available literature on socio-economic mobility in preindustrial societies. Beginning with the mobility-promoting impact of the Black Death, the article explores more generally how “calamities” of various kinds offered (or not) opportunities for upward mobility. Thereafter, it discusses long-term mobility trends, also in the light of new research about economic inequality. Finally, the article discusses how, in certain historical phases, ruling elites acted as the “enemies” of mobility, defending their positions – but possibly contributing to entrench economic stagnation.

  • Keywords:
  • social mobility,
  • socio-economic mobility,
  • economic inequality,
  • wealth,
  • poverty,
  • preindustrial Europe,
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Guido Alfani

Bocconi University, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-5534-8694

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  • Publication Year: 2025
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  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Social and economic mobility in preindustrial Europe

Authors

Guido Alfani

Language

English

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0667-9.02

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

La mobilità sociale nelle società preindustriali: tendenze, cause ed effetti (secc. XIII-XVIII) / Social mobility in pre-industrial societies: tendencies, causes and effects (13th-18th centuries)

Editors

Angela Orlandi

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

612

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0667-9

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0666-2

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0667-9

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0668-6

Series Title

Datini Studies in Economic History

Series ISSN

2975-1241

Series E-ISSN

2975-1195

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