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Contribution Details
| Type | Journal Article |
| Scope | Discipline-based scholarship |
| Title | Rage against the Machines: Labor-Saving Technology and Unrest in Industrializing England |
| Organization Unit | |
| Authors |
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| Item Subtype | Original Work |
| Refereed | Yes |
| Status | Published in final form |
| Language |
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| Journal Title | American Economic Review: Insights |
| Publisher | American Economic Association |
| Geographical Reach | international |
| ISSN | 2640-205X |
| Volume | 2 |
| Number | 3 |
| Page Range | 305 - 320 |
| Date | 2020 |
| Abstract Text | Can new technology cause social instability and unrest? We examine the famous “Captain Swing” riots in 1830s England. Newly collected data on threshing machine diffusion shows that labor-saving technology was associated with more riots. We instrument technology adoption with the share of heavy soils in a parish: IV estimates demonstrate that threshing machines were an important cause of unrest. Where alternative employment opportunities softened the blow of new technology, there was less rioting. Conversely, where enclosures had impoverished workers, the effect of threshing machines on rioting was amplified. (JEL J24, L16, N13, N33, N53, O33, Q16) |
| Digital Object Identifier | 10.1257/aeri.20190385 |
| Other Identification Number | merlin-id:19834 |
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| Additional Information | Copyright © 2020 American Economic Association |