Transatlantic technology transfer: Coal mine ventilation, 1870-1910

John Murray () and Javier Silvestre ()
Additional contact information
John Murray: Rhodes College
Javier Silvestre: University of Zaragoza

No 18011, Working Papers from Economic History Society

Abstract: "The Great Divergence debate emphasized the “geographic good luck” of European proximity to coal deposits. We consider the role, not of luck, but of the development and diffusion of coal production technology. Mechanical ventilation began as a response to methane risks in Belgian mines and soon spread to the Ruhr valley, Great Britain and Pennsylvania, all places considered in this paper. Engineers tested different machines and publicized the results, which were translated in the mining press elsewhere. Property rights to innovation proved flexible when necessary. Mechanical mine ventilation exemplified the best of Western industrial science: inquisitive, open, flexible, and responsive to empirical results whether good or bad. It was not luck but the Western approach to new technology that enabled coal exploitation."

JEL-codes: N00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his and nep-ino
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.ehs.org.uk/dotAsset/f6a9726f-0815-49f9-ab56-09816665e880.pdf (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 404 Not Found (http://www.ehs.org.uk/dotAsset/f6a9726f-0815-49f9-ab56-09816665e880.pdf [301 Moved Permanently]--> https://ehs.org.uk/dotAsset/f6a9726f-0815-49f9-ab56-09816665e880.pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehs:wpaper:18011

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Economic History Society Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chair Public Engagement Committe (currently David Higgins - Newcastle) ().