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Did Science Cause the Industrial Revolution?

Author

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  • O Grada, Cormac

    (University College Dublin)

Abstract

The role of science and technology in the First Industrial Revolution is still contested. Some scholars, focusing on the textiles sector, argue that skilled and talented artisans with no scientific training were mainly responsible for the key inventions; others, with steam power in mind, hold that the links between science and the crucial inventions of the period were fundamental. Margaret Jacob has been a leading contributor to the debate for nearly four decades. The publication of her The First Knowledge Economy offers an opportunity to review the issues. ( JEL J24, L26, N13, N73, O31, O33)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • O Grada, Cormac, 2014. "Did Science Cause the Industrial Revolution?," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 205, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cge:wacage:205
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    File URL: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/manage/publications/205-2014_o_grada.pdf
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    2. B. Zorina Khan, 2018. "Human capital, knowledge and economic development: evidence from the British Industrial Revolution, 1750–1930," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 12(2), pages 313-341, May.
    3. Wagenaar, Homer & Colvin, Christopher L., 2025. "Patently peculiar: Patents and innovation in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands," QUCEH Working Paper Series 25-04, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Centre for Economic History, revised 2025.
    4. Alberto Mingardi, 2018. "Thomas Hodgskin, Rational Optimist," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 38-57, February.
    5. B. Zorina Khan, 2024. "‘A new way by her invented’: Women inventors and technological innovation in Britain, 1800–1930," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(3), pages 928-952, August.
    6. Elisabeth Bublitz & Michael Wyrwich, 2024. "Labor market changes and social inclusiveness across regions: evidence from the rise of the modern office," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 72(3), pages 863-879, March.
    7. Dong Liu & Yu Peng Zhu, 2023. "Evolution of Knowledge Structure in an Emerging Field Based on a Triple Helix Model: the Case of Smart Factory," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(4), pages 4583-4607, December.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N73 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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