Did globalization aid industrial development in colonial India?: a study of knowledge transfer in the iron industry

Tirthankar Roy

Economic History Working Papers from London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History

Abstract: The paper explores the link between international economic integration and technological capability in colonial India. The example of iron industry shows that many new ideas and skills flowed into India from Europe, but not all met with commercial success. The essay suggests that in those fields in which the costs of complementary factors were relatively low, the chance of success was higher. This condition was present in the craft of the blacksmith, in which the main complementary input was craftsmanship. The condition was slow to develop in iron-smelting, where the costs of fuel, labour, capital, and carriage of ore were high in the mid-nineteenth century.

JEL-codes: N0 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2009-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27876/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Did globalisation aid industrial development in colonial India? A study of knowledge transfer in the iron industry (2009)
Working Paper: Did globalisation aid industrial development in colonial India? A study of knowledge transfer in the iron industry (2009)
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