Rage Against the Machines: Labour-Saving Technology and Unrest in England, 1830-32
82 Pages Posted: 23 Jan 2017 Last revised: 11 Jun 2018
Date Written: January 2017
Abstract
Can new technology cause social instability and unrest? We examine the Captain Swing riots in 1830s England. Newly-collected data on threshing machine adoption shows that new technology was associated with both higher unemployment and more riots. We instrument technology adoption with access to water power and wheat suitability: IV estimates suggest that threshing machines were an important cause of unrest. Where vibrant labor markets softened the blow of new technology, there was less rioting. In the aftermath of the riots, technology adoption and patenting rates slowed down in areas close to Swing riots in 1830-32.
Keywords: Labor-saving technology; social instability; riots; welfare support; agricultural technology; factor prices and technological change.
JEL Classification: J21, J43, N33, P16
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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Rage Against the Machines: Labour-Saving Technology and Unrest in England, 1830-32
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