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Wagons at work: a transport revolution in the age of agrarian transition in Sweden?

Author

Listed:
  • Mats Olsson

    (Lund University)

  • Fredrik Bergenfeldt

    (Lund University)

  • Patrick Svensson

    (Lund University)

Abstract

"The level of transport costs is a central part of economic development and change. Transports costs are dependent on a multitude of factors, such as for example access to and quality of roads, rivers or seas, the transport means used to travel on them, and energy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate one part of the transport costs in preindustrial Europe: the transport means, a somewhat neglected area in previous research on transport costs. More specifically, our aim is to make a comprehensive and disaggregated study of the improvements in the means of transports on roads. We use Scania during the period 1750– 1850 as a case to study the development of transport means during the transformation from a rural economy to an emerging industrial economy. Information from probate records allows us to study quality of horses, the development of wagons and decompose the technical changes. Our results show that peasant farmers made substantial investments in particularly wagons leading to technical improvements and lower transport costs, and that these investments took place regardless of the fact that there was not an institutional change of the road system."

Suggested Citation

  • Mats Olsson & Fredrik Bergenfeldt & Patrick Svensson, 2011. "Wagons at work: a transport revolution in the age of agrarian transition in Sweden?," Working Papers 11018, Economic History Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehs:wpaper:11018
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bogart, Dan, 2005. "Did Turnpike Trusts Increase Transportation Investment in Eighteenth-Century England?," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 65(2), pages 439-468, June.
    2. Olsson, Mats & Svensson, Patrick, 2010. "Agricultural growth and institutions: Sweden, 1700–1860," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 275-304, August.
    3. Dorian Gerhold, 1996. "Productivity change in road transport before and after turnpiking, 1690-1840," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 49(3), pages 491-515, August.
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