The Early Diffusion of the Steam Engine in Britain, 1700-1800. A Reappraisal
Alessandro Nuvolari,
Bart Verspagen and
Nick Von Tunzelmann
LEM Papers Series from Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy
Abstract:
We examine the diffusion of steam technology across British counties during the eighteenth century. First, we provide new estimates for the regional variations in the timing, pace and extent of usage of steam engines. Our main data source is an updated version of the list of steam engines erected in Britain during the eighteenth century originally compiled by Kanefsky and Robey (1980). Following a rather established approach for analysing the diffusion of new technologies we fit S-shaped growth functions to the data on the numbers of steam engines installed in each county. In this way, we are able to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the relative speed of the diffusion process in different counties. Second, in order to assess the relative importance of the variables shaping the diffusion of steam power technology, we study the relationship between the number of steam engines installed in each county with of localization factors such as coal prices, availability of water sites, number of textile mills and number of blast furnaces.
Keywords: Steam Engine; Britain; Industrial Revolution; Diffusion of innovations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N73 O14 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-01-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-his
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (37)
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Journal Article: The early diffusion of the steam engine in Britain, 1700–1800: a reappraisal (2011) 
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ssa:lemwps:2011/03
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