Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17013
Authors: W. Walker Hanlon
Abstract: Why was the Industrial Revolution successful at generating sustained growth? Some have argued that there was a fundamental change in the way that new technology was developed during this period, but evidence for this argument remains largely anecdotal. This paper provides direct quantitative evidence showing that how innovation and design work was done changed fundamentally during the Industrial Revolution. This change was characterized by the professionalization of innovation and design work through the emergence of the engineering profession. I also propose a theory describing how this change could have acted as one mechanism behind the transition to modern economic growth.
Keywords: Industrial Revolution; Innovation; Engineering; Economic Growth
JEL Codes: N01
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| emergence of professional engineers (J44) | change in innovation and design work (O39) |
| emergence of professional engineers (J44) | increase in innovation output (O36) |
| professionalization of engineering (J44) | productivity growth (O49) |
| professionalization of engineering (J44) | likelihood of working with co-inventors (O36) |
| engineers (R42) | increased productivity (O49) |