The Assize of Bread regulated the British bread industry surviving for 600 years before its demise in 1815. The Assize set prices and strict quality standards for bread, the primary food source for all classes. The Assize ensured bread availability and quality for all. This social welfare motivation of the policy has not previously been questioned. Utilizing advancing econometric methods and new sources I will examine the period directly before and after the end of the Assize, 1800-1870. Investigating the consequences of deregulation on consumers, workers, and owners. With a focus on female bakers, riots and the rapid industrialisation that occurred post deregulation.
Publications:
Why are there so few women leading the UK’s biggest companies? – Economics Observatory
Twenty-five years of devolution: what progress on productivity and skills? – Economics Observatory
