Municipal Technological Change in the 19th Century: The Diffusion of Steam-Powered Fire-Fighting Equipment

Burton Abrams, Evangelos Falaris and James Mulligan (mulligaj@udel.edu)
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James Mulligan: Department of Economics, University of Delaware

No 15-09, Working Papers from University of Delaware, Department of Economics

Abstract: We provide the first empirical analysis of the diffusion pattern of the most important innovation in firefighting equipment during the latter half of the nineteenth century: steam powered water pumpers. We offer the first systematic empirical support for the hypothesis that local businesses influenced the timing of the initial adoption of this technology in order to facilitate a change from mostly autonomous volunteer firefighting organizations to a more professional and centralized municipal department.

Keywords: Technological Change; Diffusion; Urban Economic History; Firefighting Technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N41 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro and nep-his
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