Mobility Effects of Land Reform: Evidence from Nineteenth-Century English Enclosures

Studies the mobility effects of land reform in nineteenth-century England. By separating different types of enclosure, the paper shows that migration was driven by changes in agricultural organization and local labor demand, rather than by the loss of common rights. This challenges a common interpretation and highlights a structural reallocation mechanism.

Parliamentary enclosure of open-field agricultural land led people to move away from where they were born, rather than the loss of common land. Those exposed as children were especially likely to leave their parish or county, often heading to growing industrial areas. This was mainly because enclosure reorganized farming and pushed out smaller farmers, helping shift labor toward emerging industrial regions, with some differences between men and women.