Spinning Tales about Japanese Cotton Spinning: Saxonhouse (1974) and Lessons from New Data

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050715000650
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 364-404
• 关键词: firms

摘要

We revisit the story of technology adoption and diffusion in Japan's Meiji-era cotton spinning industry, the study of which was pioneered by Gary Saxonhouse (1974). Using a novel data set and modern methodology, we argue that both the ease with which the best technology diffused and the role of slavish imitation in this process may have been overstated. We find an important role played by market competition, including asset reallocation. Our analyses provide richer insights into the complex phenomena of technology diffusion, innovation, and economic growth.