Technology, Productivity, and Profits: British-American Whaling Competition in the North Atlantic, 1816-1842

L E Davis, R E Gallman and T D Hutchins

Oxford Economic Papers, 1987, vol. 39, issue 4, 738-59

Abstract: In 1815, the North Atlantic whaling fleet was entirely British, but by 1842 almost every ve ssel was American. This paper analyzes the productivity and profitabi lity of the two fleets in an attempt to explain the near total Americ an victory in the competitive struggle off Greenland and in the Davis Straights. The analysis indicates that the American fleet was more p roductive and considerably more profitable, but that neither producti vity or profit differentials can completely explain the speed of the transition. A complete explanation must also include the effects of c hanges in British government policy. Copyright 1987 by Royal Economic Society.

Date: 1987
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