Jacob Weisdorf: The effect of mechanisation on labour - Evidence from the diffusion of steam power
| Termin |
Donnerstag, 24. April 2025, 18.00 - 19.30 Uhr |
|---|---|
| Veranstaltungsart | Workshop/Seminar |
| Reihe | Forschungsseminar "Economic History, Growth & Development" |
| Einrichtung | Wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Bereich |
| Veranstalter | Lehrstuhl Prof. Dr. Lars Börner |
| Veranstaltungsort | Wirtschaftswissenschaftlicher Bereich, Raum 122 |
| Straße | Große Steinstraße 73 |
| PLZ/Ort | 06108 Halle (Saale) |
Beschreibung
We use the two earliest national industrial censuses from mid-19th-century France to examine the impact on industrial labour of one of the greatest waves of mechanisation in history, the diffusion of steam power. We exploit exogenous variation in sectorial tendencies to deploy steam power as well as in local (district) access to water (used for waterwheels) and coal (used for steam engines) to establish that the adoption of steam power increased employment, wages, and labour’s share, both at the extensive and intensive margins. The findings dispute the common view that the historical modernisation of industry set labour back in absolute terms or relative to capitalists.
Presenter: Professor Jacob Weisdorf, PhD (Sapienza University of Rome)