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The Scale of Production in Western Economic Development: A Comparison of Official Industry Statistics in the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, 1905–1913

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  • Kinghorn, Janice Rye
  • Nye, John Vincent

Abstract

We use census data and information on large firms to generate descriptions of structural features of Western industry around 1906. We find that although the United States conforms to existing stereotypes, most other nations do not. German industry stands out as having the smallest plants and firms and the lowest concentration levels both in the aggregate and when grouped by industrial classifications. Equally startling, French levels of plant size and concentration are comparable to those of the United States. We speculate on the importance of these results for rethinking the traditional analysis of industrial development in the early twentieth century.

Suggested Citation

  • Kinghorn, Janice Rye & Nye, John Vincent, 1996. "The Scale of Production in Western Economic Development: A Comparison of Official Industry Statistics in the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, 1905–1913," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(1), pages 90-112, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:56:y:1996:i:01:p:90-112_01
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    Cited by:

    1. Christopher Spencer & Paul Temple, 2016. "Standards, learning, and growth in Britain, 1901–2009," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 69(2), pages 627-652, May.
    2. Kling, Gerhard, 2006. "The long-term impact of mergers and the emergence of a merger wave in pre-World-War I Germany," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 667-688, October.
    3. Dmitriy Veselov & Alexander Yarkin, 2015. "The Great Divergence Revisited: Industrialization, Inequality and Political Conflict in the Unified Growth Model," HSE Working papers WP BRP 118/EC/2015, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    4. Leslie Hannah, 2007. "The Divorce of Ownership from Control from 1900: Re-calibrating Imagined Global Historical Trends," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-460, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    5. Leslie Hannah, 2007. "Logistics, Market Size and Giant Plants in the Early 20th Century: A Global View," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-486, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    6. Leslie Hannah, 2007. "Pioneering Modern Corporate Governance: a View from London in 1900," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-487, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    7. Leslie Hannah, 2007. "Pioneering Modern Corporate Governance: a View from London in 1900 (Subsequently published in "Enterprise and Society", vol. 8, no. 3, September 2007, pp. 642-86. )," CARF F-Series CARF-F-093, Center for Advanced Research in Finance, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo.
    8. Doraszelski, Ulrich, 2004. "Measuring returns to scale in nineteenth-century French industry," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 256-281, July.
    9. Kellee Tsai, 2015. "Financing Small and Medium Enterprises in China: Recent Trends and Prospects beyond Shadow Banking," HKUST IEMS Working Paper Series 2015-24, HKUST Institute for Emerging Market Studies, revised May 2015.

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