Patents and Industrialisation: An Historical Overview of the British Case, 1624-1907

45 Pages Posted: 11 Mar 2012

See all articles by Alessandro Nuvolari

Alessandro Nuvolari

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa - Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM)

Christine Macleod

University of Bristol - Department of Historical Studies

Date Written: December 25, 2010

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the research on the role played by patent systems in the industrialization process (with a special focus on the British case). Perhaps surprisingly, no consensus has been reached yet as to whether the emergence of modern patent systems exerted a favorable impact on inventive activities. However, the recent literature has shed light on a number of fundamental factors which affect the links between inventive activities and the patent system. The concluding section of the paper outlines some 'history lessons' for the current debate on the role of patent in economic development.

Keywords: patents, innovation, industrial revolution, economic growth

JEL Classification: N73, O34

Suggested Citation

Nuvolari, Alessandro and Macleod, Christine, Patents and Industrialisation: An Historical Overview of the British Case, 1624-1907 (December 25, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2019844 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2019844

Alessandro Nuvolari (Contact Author)

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa - Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM) ( email )

Piazza Martiri della Liberta', 33-I-56127
Pisa
Italy

Christine Macleod

University of Bristol - Department of Historical Studies ( email )

13-15 Woodland Road
Clifton, Bristol BS8 1TB, UK
United Kingdom
(0117) 928 8639 (Phone)
(0117) 928 7934 (Fax)

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