Working Paper: NBER ID: w29751
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: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: N13; N73; O3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| professionalization of engineering (J44) | economic growth (O49) |
| emergence of professional engineers (J44) | sustained technological progress (O39) |
| professionalization of engineering (J44) | increased productivity and innovation (O49) |
| presence of engineers in patent records (O34) | higher quality patents (L15) |
| professionalization of engineering (J44) | collaboration with co-inventors (O36) |