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Britannia ruled the waves

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  • Leunig, Tim

Abstract

This paper uses new micro-level US data to re-examine productivity leadership in cotton spinning c. 1900. We find that output aggregation problems make the Census unreliable in this industry, and that Lancashire, not New England was the productivity leader for almost every type of yarn. This is true both for the operation of a given machinery type, and when comparing machinery typical in each country. Higher capital and labour productivity rates imply that Lancashire’s combination of a more favourable climate, external economies of scale and more experienced workers dominated the advantages that New England firms derived from greater scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Leunig, Tim, 2001. "Britannia ruled the waves," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 536, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:536
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/536/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Broadberry S. N., 1994. "Comparative Productivity in British and American Manufacturing during the Nineteenth Century," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 521-548, October.
    2. Lazonick, William H., 1981. "Production Relations, Labor Productivity, and Choice of Technique: British and U.S. Cotton Spinning," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(3), pages 491-516, September.
    3. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, December.
    4. Lars G. Sandberg, 1984. "The Remembrance of Things Past: Rings and Mules Revisited," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 99(2), pages 387-392.
    5. William Lazonick, 1984. "Rings and Mules in Britain: Reply," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 99(2), pages 393-398.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General
    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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