Reassessing the Role of Steam Power in the British Industrial Revolution

Haris Kitsikopoulos ()

A chapter in The First Industrial Revolution and Global Divergence, 2026, pp 99-122 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter reviews scholarly studies on the timing and extent of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and output growth in Britain, assessing steam power’s role. Crafts argued steam’s major impact emerged mid-nineteenth century—150 years after its invention—mainly due to railroad expansion and, to a lesser extent, stationary engine diffusion. While his timing was correct, his methodology was unconventional, some diffusion data were outdated, and cost estimates lacked rigorous research. An alternative explanation is offered: steam’s delayed impact stemmed from water power’s lower operating costs through 1870. The chapter also contends that existing literature underestimates the full economic benefits Britain derived from steam power.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:frochp:978-3-032-26359-9_3

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-26359-9_3

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