Factory Discipline, Health and Externalities in the Reduction of Working Time in Nineteenth-Century France

Abstract : The role played by health considerations in the reduction of working time in nineteenth century France has been largely overlooked. This paper sets out to demonstrate their importance. Section 2 documents health deterioration in the workplace. Section 3 argues that the worsening of living conditions is a negative externality suffered by workers. It arises out of 'factory discipline' and inter-firm competition. Section 4 highlights one of the necessary conditions for any reduction in this externality: the recognition by both employers and workers of the long-term health effects of the prevailing working conditions. Physicians played a decisive role in this change. Section 5 concludes.