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Growth theory and industrial revolutions in Britain and America

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  • Knick Harley

Abstract

. Long‐run economic growth has again become a major focus of economic theory. A perception of technological change as an economic process with externalities has motivated the development of aggregate models that generate different steady‐state growth paths. Economic history has also long been interested in long‐run economic growth. Here, a dialogue is presented between growth theory and the historical literature on the industrial revolution in Britain and America's surge to international economic leadership in the late nineteenth century. In conclusion, economists’ recent thinking about the microeconomics of technological change has provided fruitful material for the economic historian of growth. Unfortunately, the models of endogenous growth, on the other hand, present too aggregated a view of the economy to prove helpful when confronted with the details of economic history. JEL Classification: N0, N1.1 Théorie de la croissance et révolutions industrielles en Grande Bretagne et en Amérique. La croissance économique à long terme est redevenue un point d’intérêt majeur pour la théorie économique. Une perception du changement technologique comme processus économique porteur d’externalités a engendré le développement de modèles agrégés qui génèrent différents sentiers de croissance en régime permanent. L’histoire économique s’intéresse depuis longtemps à la croissance économique à long terme. Ce texte engage le dialogue entre la théorie de la croissance et la littérature historique à propos de la révolution industrielle en Grande Bretagne et de l’émergence de l’Amérique au statut de leader international à la fin du dix‐neuvième siècle. On en arrive à la conclusion que les récents développements dans la pensée économique à propos de la micro‐économie du changement technologique ont produit des résultats utiles pour l’histoire économique de la croissance. Malheureusement, d’autre part, les modèles de croissance endogène présente une vue trop agrégée de l’économie pour s’avérer utile dans l’examen des détails de l’histoire économique.

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  • Knick Harley, 2003. "Growth theory and industrial revolutions in Britain and America," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(4), pages 809-831, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:canjec:v:36:y:2003:i:4:p:809-831
    DOI: 10.1111/1540-5982.t01-3-00002
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    2. Yuan, Shengjun & Musibau, Hammed Oluwaseyi & Genç, Sema Yılmaz & Shaheen, Riffat & Ameen, Anam & Tan, Zhixiong, 2021. "Digitalization of economy is the key factor behind fourth industrial revolution: How G7 countries are overcoming with the financing issues?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    3. C. Knick Harley, 2013. "Slavery, the British Atlantic Economy and the Industrial Revolution," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _113, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    4. Gu, Jianqiang & Gouliamos, Kostas & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona & Nicoleta-Claudia, Moldovan, 2021. "Is the fourth industrial revolution transforming the relationship between financial development and its determinants in emerging economies?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. C Knick Harley, 2013. "Slavery, the British Atlantic Economy and the Industrial Revolution," Oxford University Economic and Social History Series _113, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

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    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General
    • N1 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations

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