2022/05/13 by Morgan Kelly, Joel Mokyr, Cormac Ó Gráda · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Historical Economic and Social Studies #Culture, Economy, and Development Studies #Australian History and Society
paper · doi:10.1086/720890
openalex publication_date 2022/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Although there are many competing explanations for the Industrial Revolution, there has been no effort to evaluate them econometrically. This paper analyzes how the very different patterns of growth across the counties of England between the 1760s and 1830s can be explained by a wide range of potential variables. We find that industrialization occurred in areas that began with low wages but high mechanical skills, whereas other variables, such as literacy, banks, and proximity to coal, have little explanatory power. Against the view that living standards were stagnant during the Industrial Revolution, we find that real wages rose sharply in the industrializing north and declined in the previously prosperous south.