This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

From Shafts to Wires: Historical Perspective on Electrification

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Devine, Warren D.
Abstract

The shift from steam to electric power in manufacturing is recounted. Between 1880 and 1930 the production and distribution of mechanical power rapidly evolved from water and steam prime movers with shaft and belt drive systems to electric motors that drove individual machines. The use of electricity reduced the energy required to drive machinery, but more important, enabled industry to obtain greater output per unit of capital and labor input.Reduced energy needs and increased productivity in manufacturing influenced the relationship between energy consumption and gross national product in the first three decades of the twentieth century.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0022050700029673
File Format: text/html
File Function: link to article abstract page
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by Cambridge University Press in its journal The Journal of Economic History.

Volume (Year): 43 (1983)
Issue (Month): 02 (June)
Pages: 347-372
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:43:y:1983:i:02:p:347-372_02

Contact details of provider:
Postal: The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 2RU UK
Fax: +44 (0)1223 325150
Email:
Web page: http://journals.cambridge.org/jid_JEH

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Mike Eden).

Related research
Keywords:

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Sharon Harrison & Mark Weder, 2009. " Technological Change and the Roaring Twenties: A Neoclassical Perspective," CDMA Working Paper Series 0901, Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 1996. "The Origins of Technology-Skill Complementarity," NBER Working Papers 5657, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Kander, Astrid & Schön, Lennart & Enflo, Kerstin, 2007. "In Defense of Electricity as a General Purpose Technology," CIRCLE Electronic Working Paper Series 2007-06, CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy), Lund University. [Downloadable!]
  4. J. Bradford DeLong, 2003. "Productivity Growth in the 2000s," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2002, Volume 17, pages 113-158 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  5. Robert J. Gordon, 2004. "Two Centuries of Economic Growth: Europe Chasing the American Frontier," NBER Working Papers 10662, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Nicholas Crafts, 2002. "Productivity growth in the Industrial Revolution: a new growth accounting perspective," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue Nov. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Crafts, Nicholas, 2002. "The Solow Productivity Paradox in Historical Perspective," CEPR Discussion Papers 3142, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Boyan Jovanovic & Peter L. Rousseau, 2002. "Moore's Law and Learning-By-Doing," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 5(2), pages 346-375, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Shih-tse Lo & Dhanoos Sutthiphisal, 2008. "Crossover Inventions And Knowledge Diffusion Of General Purpose Technologies? Evidence From The Electrical Technology," NBER Working Papers 14043, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Chulhee Lee, 2009. "Technological Changes and Employment of Older Manufacturing Workers in Early Twentieth Century America," NBER Working Papers 14746, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Mauro Napoletano & Andrea Roventini & Sandro Sapio, 2004. "Yeast vs. Mushrooms: A Note on Harberger's "A Vision of the Growth Process"," LEM Papers Series 2004/03, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  12. Mauro Caminati & Serena Sordi & Arsenio Stabile, 2006. "Patterns of Discovery," Department of Economics University of Siena 473, Department of Economics, University of Siena. [Downloadable!]
  13. Lone E. Christiansen, 2008. "Do Technology Shocks Lead to Productivity Slowdowns? Evidence from Patent Data," IMF Working Papers 08/24, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  14. Edquist, Harald, 2008. "Does Hedonic Price Indexing Change Our Interpretation of Economic History? Evidence from Swedish Electrification," Working Paper Series 742, Research Institute of Industrial Economics, revised 03 Sep 2009. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? The RePEc project started in 1997. Its precursor, NetEc, dates back to 1993.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-6.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.