For two decades, real wage comparisons have been centre stage in global socio-economic history studies of comparative development, offering a tractable – if oversimplified – gauge of living standards. But critics argue that these studies have leaned too heavily on the earnings of male, urban, unskilled, daily wage labourers, overlooking wage disparities between social groups and the mechanics of how wages were paid. This Special Issue attempts to shift the focus to overlooked groups and “wage systems” – the methods behind pay determination – and their role in deepening or mitigating inequality. This introduction attempts a global overview of the long-term developments in real wage studies, highlighting methodological innovations and challenges over recent decades. It also explains how the various articles in this Special Issue, spanning topics from medieval Europe to colonial India, contribute to this field. We argue that wage systems – and the inequalities they breed – played out in ways as varied as history itself, so comparing material living standards across time and space remains a complex calculation. We plead for a two-pronged approach: the continued study of all types of income of all working people, alongside a new focus on the social norms, institutions, and systems that determine the opportunities for individuals to acquire an income. A consolidated bibliography of all references in this Special Issue may help future research.

二十年来，实际工资比较一直是全球社会经济史比较发展研究的中心舞台，提供了一个易于处理（尽管过于简单化）的生活水平衡量标准。但批评者认为，这些研究过于依赖男性、城市、非熟练日薪工人的收入，忽视了社会群体之间的工资差距和工资支付机制。本期特刊试图将重点转移到被忽视的群体和“工资系统”——工资决定背后的方法——以及它们在加深或减轻不平等方面的作用。本导言试图对实际工资研究的长期发展进行全球概述，重点介绍近几十年来的方法创新和挑战。它还解释了本特刊中的各种文章，涵盖从中世纪欧洲到印度殖民地的主题，如何为这一领域做出贡献。我们认为，工资制度——以及它们所滋生的不平等——以与历史本身一样多变的方式发挥作用，因此跨时间和空间比较物质生活水平仍然是一个复杂的计算。我们恳请采取双管齐下的方法：继续研究所有劳动人民的所有类型的收入，同时重新关注决定个人获得收入机会的社会规范、制度和制度。本特刊中所有参考文献的综合参考书目可能有助于未来的研究。