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A “poor man’s carriage”: system building and social interactivity in UK urban tramway development, 1860–1890

Author

Listed:
  • Coles, Anne-Marie
  • Clarke, Ian
  • Piterou, Athena

Abstract

Large technical systems (LTS) are socially structuring, reconfiguring governance practices and social norms. In this article, socio-technical dynamics that influenced the emergence of UK urban tramways, as examples of local LTS, are investigated, considering the role of dominant discourses in normalizing new systems. It examines how the 1870 Tramways Act attempted to adjudicate between competing interests, which shaped the context for new tramway routes. The concept of system builders is used to explain how new projects recruit public support. This case identifies constraints faced by system builders and indicates that their interaction with prevailing socio-political contexts impacts the system development and stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Coles, Anne-Marie & Clarke, Ian & Piterou, Athena, 2023. "A “poor man’s carriage”: system building and social interactivity in UK urban tramway development, 1860–1890," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 38143, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    • Handle: RePEc:gpe:wpaper:38143
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    File URL: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/38143/3/38143_COLES_A_poor_mans_carriage_System_building_and_social_interactivity%20.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    large technical systems; history of technology; infrastructure changes; tramway history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N7 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services

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