WHY DID THE MEDITERRANEAN FAIL TO GLOBALISE? REAL WAGES AND LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Can low emigration rates from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic economy partly explain its relative economic decline over the 19(th) century? Time series tests of real wage integration show that the Maghreb and Eastern Mediterranean exported enough labourers to experience labour market integration, while the emigration rates of the northern Mediterranean, were not high enough. As the latter group comprised most of the region's economic weight, the Mediterranean as a whole was held back. The wage gap between the first two groups and the Atlantic economy was the highest, but journey costs relative to wage levels were roughly similar across the Mediterranean. The incentive-vs.-cost arithmetic favoured emigration from the Maghreb and Eastern Mediterranean. RESUMEN Pueden las bajas tasas de emigracion del Mediterraneo en la economia atlantica explicar en parte su declive economico a lo largo del siglo XIX? Los test de series temporales de integracion de salarios reales muestran que los paises del Magreb y del Mediterraneo oriental exportaron trabajadores suficientes para experimentar integracion en los mercados de trabajo; sin embargo, las tasas de emigracion de los paises del Norte del Mediterraneo no fueron lo suficientemente elevadas. Como este segundo grupo representaba el mayor peso economico de la region, el conjunto del Mediterraneo se resintio. El diferencial salarial entre los dos primeros grupos y la economia atlantica fue uno de los mas elevados, pero el coste del transporte en relacion a los niveles salariales era mas o menos similar en todo el Mediterraneo. El calculo << incentivo frente a coste' favorecio la emigracion de los paises del Magreb y del Mediterraneo oriental.