Railways and population

by Robert Schwartz

This text takes as its starting point an interesting historical question about two phenomena that have been observed about the industrial revolution in England. One is the massive growth of the railway system. The other is the depopulation of rural England to the cities. Did the growth of railways contribute to the population changes in England? And if we believe so, how can we make a convincing case for it based upon data? The author brings statistical techniques and geographic information systems to bear on this question. This text is truly interdisciplinary and could be used in a history course, a statistics course, or a geography course.

To obtain this text, contact Robert Schwartz at rschwart@mtholyoke.edu.