2014/23 LEM Working Paper Series

Technical Change, Non-Tariff Barriers, and the Development of the Italian Locomotive Industry, 1850-1913

Carlo Ciccarelli, Alessandro Nuvolari
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  JEL Classifications
 
N73, O25


  Abstract
 
This paper examines the dynamics of technical change in the Italian locomotive industry in the period 1850-1913. From an historical point of view, this industry presents a major point of interest: it was one of the few relatively sophisticated “high-tech” sectors in which Italy, a latecomer country, was able to set foot firmly before 1913. Using technical data on the performance of different vintages of locomotives, we construct a new industry-level index of technical change. Our reassessment reveals the critical role played by non-tariff barriers for the emergence and consolidation of national manufacturers in this field.
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