2020/23 | LEM Working Paper Series | ||||||||||||||||
Patterns of Innovation during the Industrial Revolution: a Reappraisal using a Composite Indicator of Patent Quality |
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Alessandro Nuvolari, Valentina Tartari and Matteo Tranchero |
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Keywords | |||||||||||||||||
Industrial Revolution; Patents; Macroinventions; Microinventions.
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JEL Classifications | |||||||||||||||||
N73, O31, O33
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Abstract | |||||||||||||||||
The distinction between macro- and microinventions is at the core of recent debates on the Industrial
Revolution. Yet, the empirical testing of this notion has remained elusive. We address this issue by
introducing a new quality indicator for all patents granted in England in the period 1700-1850. Our
findings indicate that macroinventions did not exhibit any specific time-clustering, while microinventions
were correlated with the economic cycle. In addition, we also find that macroinventions
were characterized by a labor-saving bias and were mostly introduced by professional engineers.
These results suggest that Allen’s and Mokyr’s views of macroinventions, rather than conflicting,
should be regarded as complementary.
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