Technological Adoption Before and During the First Industrial Revolution in the Netherlands and Belgium (ca. 1750–1900)

Robin Philips () and Bas van Leeuwen ()
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Robin Philips: Catholic University of Louvain, Institute of Social and Economic Research
Bas van Leeuwen: International Institute of Social History, Research Department

A chapter in The First Industrial Revolution and Global Divergence, 2026, pp 209-250 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The comparison of an early industrializer (Belgium) and a late industrializer (the Netherlands) is an often-recurring theme in the historiography. However, few studies have systematically compared the divergent growth paths of these two countries linking them to the diffusion of technology. This chapter focusses on the adoption of steam technology from 1750 to 1900. Our new estimates of the regional spread of steam, and the analysis of its underlying factors, show a more nuanced picture compared to the dominant historical consensus. Whereas some Belgian regions were indeed quick to adopt steam while some Dutch regions were slow, there were regions in both countries which show a more mixed picture thus challenging the static view presented in part of the literature.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:frochp:978-3-032-26359-9_6

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-26359-9_6

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