Human Capital Formation during the First Industrial Revolution: Evidence from the Use of Steam Engines

Jacob Weisdorf, Alexandra de Pleijt () and Alessandro Nuvolari

No 12987, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We examine the effect of technical change on human capital formation during England’s Industrial Revolution. Using the number of steam engines installed by 1800 as a synthetic indicator of technological change, and occupational statistics to measure working skills (using HISCLASS), we establish a positive correlation between the use of steam engines and the share of skilled workers at the county level. We use exogenous variation in carboniferous rock strata (containing coal to fuel the engines) to show that the effect was causal. While technological change stimulated the formation of working skills, it had an overall negative effect on the formation of primary education, captured by literacy and school enrolment rates. It also led to higher gender inequality in literacy.

Keywords: Economic growth; Education; Human capital; Industrialisation; Technological change; Steam engines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J82 N33 O14 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro, nep-his, nep-ino and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Human Capital Formation During the First Industrial Revolution: Evidence from the use of Steam Engines (2020)
Working Paper: Human Capital Formation during the First Industrial Revolution: Evidence from the Use of Steam Engines (2016)
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