This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The Resolution of the Labor-Scarcity Paradox

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
James, John A.
Skinner, Jonathan S.

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Many distinguished foreign visitors to the United States in the 1850s commented on the advanced states of mechanization in manufacturing. But why, at the same time, were interest rates higher and the aggregate manufacturing capital stock lower in American than in Britain? We resolve this paradox by noting that British engineers were most impressed by only those industries which relied on skilled workers. Using production parameters estimated from 1849 census data, we develop a computable general equilibrium model of the American and British economies which reconciles the apparently contradictory evidence.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0022050700034483
File Format: text/html
File Function: link to article abstract page
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by Cambridge University Press in its journal The Journal of Economic History.

Volume (Year): 45 (1985)
Issue (Month): 03 (September)
Pages: 513-540
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:45:y:1985:i:03:p:513-540_03

Contact details of provider:
Postal: The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 2RU UK
Fax: +44 (0)1223 325150
Email:
Web page: http://journals.cambridge.org/jid_JEH

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Mike Eden).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Lindert, Peter H. & Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1982. "Antebellum Wage Widening Once Again," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 42(02), pages 419-422, June. [Downloadable!]
  2. Griliches, Zvi, 1969. "Capital-Skill Complementarity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(4), pages 465-68, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Zabler, Jeffrey F., 1972. "Further evidence on American wage differentials, 1800-1830," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 109-117. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Sokoloff, Kenneth L., 1984. "Investment in Fixed and Working Capital During Early Industrialization: Evidence from U. S. Manufacturing Firms," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(02), pages 545-556, June. [Downloadable!]
  5. Mundlak, Yair, 1978. "Occupational Migration out of Agriculture-A Cross-Country Analysis," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 60(3), pages 392-98, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Kenneth L. Sokoloff, 1984. "Investment in Fixed and Working Capital During Early Industrialization: Evidence From U.S. Manufacturing Firms," NBER Working Papers 1385, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Christensen, Paul P., 1981. "Land abundance and cheap horsepower in the mechanization of the antebellum United States economy," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 309-329, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Burgess, David F., 1975. "Duality theory and pitfalls in the specification of technologies," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 105-121, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. James, John A., 1978. "The welfare effects of the antebellum tariff: A general equilibrium analysis," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 231-256, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1982. "Was the industrial revolution worth it? Disamenities and death in 19th century British towns," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 221-245, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Harley, C. K., 1974. "Skilled labour and the choice of technique in Edwardian industry," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 391-414. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Brito, D. L. & Williamson, Jeffrey G., 1973. "Skilled labor and nineteenth century Anglo-American managerial behavior," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 10(3), pages 235-251. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Goldin, Claudia & Sokoloff, Kenneth, 1982. "Women, Children, and Industrialization in the Early Republic: Evidence from the Manufacturing Censuses," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 42(04), pages 741-774, December. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. George J. Borjas, 1994. "The Economic Benefits from Immigration," NBER Working Papers 4955, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Claudia Goldin, 1994. "Labor Markets in the Twentieth Century," NBER Historical Working Papers 0058, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Ruttan, Vernon W., 1996. "Sources Of Technical Change: Induced Innovation, Evolutionary Theory And Path Dependence," Bulletins 12974, University of Minnesota, Economic Development Center. [Downloadable!]
  4. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 1996. "The Origins of Technology-Skill Complementarity," NBER Working Papers 5657, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Chin, Aimee & Juhn, Chinhui & Thompson, Peter, 2004. "Technical Change and the Wage Structure During the Second Industrial Revolution: Evidence from the Merchant Marine, 1865-1912," IZA Discussion Papers 1285, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Robert A. Margo, 1999. "The History of Wage Inequality in America, 1820 to 1970," Economics Working Paper Archive 286, Levy Economics Institute, The. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Stephen N. Broadberry & Douglas A. Irwin, 2004. "Labor Productivity in Britain and America During the Nineteenth Century," NBER Working Papers 10364, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Daron Acemoglu, 2005. "Equilibrium Bias of Technology," NBER Working Papers 11845, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Paul A. David, 2005. "Two Centuries of American Macroeconomic Growth From Exploitation of Resource Abundance to Knowledge-Driven Development," Macroeconomics 0502021, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  10. Joshua L. Rosenbloom & William A. Sundstrom, 2009. "Labor-Market Regimes in U.S. Economic History," NBER Working Papers 15055, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Francisco Gallego, 2006. "Skill Premium in Chile: Studying the Skill Bias Technical Change Hypothesis in the South," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 363, Central Bank of Chile. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? RePEc also has a blog.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-23.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.