Population Size Effects in the Structural Development of England

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Leukhina, Oksana M.; Turnovsky, Stephen J.
• 署名单位: University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MACROECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7707
• DOI: 10.1257/mac.20140032
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 195-229
• 关键词: industrial-revolution; ECONOMIC-GROWTH; agriculture; substitution; PRODUCTIVITY; TRANSITION

摘要

The English structural transformation from farming to manufacturing was accompanied by rapid technological change, expansion of trade, and massive population growth. While the roles of technology and trade in this process have been investigated, the literature has largely ignored the role of population growth. We examine population size effects on various aspects of structural development, characterizing their explicit dependence on preference-side and production-side characteristics of the economy, and trade. Our quantitative analysis of the English transformation assigns a major role to population growth, with especially notable contributions to post-1750 rise in the manufacturing employment share and the relative price dynamics.