The Rate and Direction of Invention in the British Industrial Revolution: Incentives and Institutions

Ralf Meisenzahl and Joel Mokyr

No 16993, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: During the Industrial Revolution technological progress and innovation became the main drivers of economic growth. But why was Britain the technological leader? We argue that one hitherto little recognized British advantage was the supply of highly skilled, mechanically able craftsmen who were able to adapt, implement, improve, and tweak new technologies and who provided the micro inventions necessary to make macro inventions highly productive and remunerative. Using a sample of 759 of these mechanics and engineers, we study the incentives and institutions that facilitated the high rate of inventive activity during the Industrial Revolution. First, apprenticeship was the dominant form of skill formation. Formal education played only a minor role. Second, many skilled workmen relied on secrecy and first-mover advantages to reap the benefits of their innovations. Over 40 percent of the sample here never took out a patent. Third, skilled workmen in Britain often published their work and engaged in debates over contemporary technological and social questions. In short, they were affected by the Enlightenment culture. Finally, patterns differ for the textile sector; therefore, any inferences from textiles about the whole economy are likely to be misleading.

JEL-codes: N13 N73 O31 O34 O43 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-hme, nep-ino and nep-lab
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Published as The Rate and Direction of Invention in the British Industrial Revolution: Incentives and Institutions , Ralf R. Meisenzahl, Joel Mokyr. in The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity Revisited , Lerner and Stern. 2012

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