Specialization of work in England, 1100-1300

The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were to some extent a period of increasing occupational specialization. As towns grew, and money circulated more frequently, some groups of workers became more specialized, and as they did so their productivity is likely to have risen. However, this argument has limited value as evidence for rising aggregate levels of welfare. This article queries the extent of productivity gains attributable specifically to occupational specialization between 1100 and 1300, first by proposing that increasing specialization characterized only a small proportion of the workforce and secondly by arguing that there were offsetting trends elsewhere in the economy.