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The long-run impact of the power loom: evidence from 19th century Prussia

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  • Jeff Chan

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

Using county-level census data from 19th century Prussia, this paper argues that the introduction of the power loom, a key technological innovation in the Industrial Revolution, had a significant impact on labour market outcomes and composition 40 years later. To combat endogeneity, I use a county's proximity to London as an instrument for the adoption of power looms. The empirical evidence suggests that the spread of the Industrial Revolution increased wages of urban and rural workers of both genders. I also show that the introduction of the power loom significantly reduced the size of the agricultural sector in the long-run.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeff Chan, 2014. "The long-run impact of the power loom: evidence from 19th century Prussia," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(3), pages 1776-1791.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-14-00457
    as

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    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2014/Volume34/EB-14-V34-I3-P163.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    industrialization; knowledge diffusion;

    JEL classification:

    • N1 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations

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