Abstract
It is easy to be misled by history. Development economists and economic historians have both spent a great of energy identifying the stylised facts and ‘patterns’ of development. Indeed, in uncritical moments we tend to gauge an economy’s performance by its ability to replicate or even exceed those stylised patterns. This is an ineffective use of history since it fails to exploit the information available. What we really want to know is how economies perform in response to technological events and changing world market conditions. What we really want to assess is the ability of an economy to reach its full potential, that is, to come close to optimal growth and industrialisation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Chenery, H. B. and Syrquin, M. (1975) Patterns of Development, 1950–1970 (London: Oxford University Press).
Crafts, N. (1985) British Economic Growth During the Industrial Revolution (Oxford: The Clarendon Press).
Deane, P. and Cole, W. A. (1962) British Economic Growth 1688–1959 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Dervis, K., Melo, J. de and Robinson, S. (1982) General Equilibrium Models for Development Policy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
Fishlow, A. and David, P. A. (1961) ‘Optimal Resource Allocation in an Imperfect Market Setting’, Journal of Political Economy vol. 69, no. 6 (December), pp. 529–46.
Harley, C. K. (1982) ‘British Industrialization Before 1841: Evidence of Slower Growth During the Industrial Revolution,’ Journal of Economic History vol. 42, no. 2 (June), pp. 267–89.
Hoselitz, B. F. (1955) ‘Generative and Parasitic Cities’, Economic Development and Cultural Change vol. 3 (April), pp. 278–94.
Hoselitz, B. F. (1957) ‘Urbanization and Economic Growth in Asia’, Economic Development and Cultural Change vol. 5 (October), pp. 42–54.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) (1980) World Development Report, 1980 (Washington, DC: IBRD).
James, J. A. (1984) ‘The Use of General Equilibrium Analysis in Economic History’, Explorations in Economic History, vol. 21 (July), pp. 231–53.
Kelley, A. C. and Williamson, J. G. (1984) What Drives Third World City Growth? (Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press).
Knight, J. B. (1972) ‘Rural-Urban Income Comparisons and Migration in Ghana’, Bulletin of Oxford University Institute of Economics and Statistics, vol. 34, no. 2 (May), pp. 199–228.
Kravis, I. B., Heston, A. W. and Summers, R. (1978) ‘Real GDP Per Capita for More Than One Hundred Countries’, Economic Journal, vol. 88 (June), pp. 215–42.
McGreevey, W. P. (1985) ‘Economic Aspects of Historical Demographic Change’, World Bank Staff Working Papers, no. 685 (Washington DC: The World Bank) September.
Preston, S. H. (1979) ‘Urban Growth in Developing Countries: A Demographic Reappraisal’, Population and Development Review, vol. 5 (June), pp. 195–215.
Shoven, J. B. and Whalley, J., (1984) ‘Applied General-Equilibrium Models of Taxation and International Trade: An Introduction and Survey’, Journal of Economic Literature, vol. 22 (September), pp. 1007–51.
Squire, L. (1981) Employment Policy in Development Countries (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Thomas, V. (1980) ‘Spatial Differences in the Cost of Living’, Journal of Urban Economics, vol. 8, pp. 108–22.
Todaro, M. P. (1969) ‘A Model of Labor Migration and Urban Unemployment in Less Developed Countries’, American Economic Review, vol. 59, no. 1 (March), pp. 138–48.
Todaro, M. P. (1984) ‘Urbanization in Developing Nations: Trends, Prospects, and Policies’, in Ghosh, P. K. (ed.) Urban Development in the Third World (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood).
Williamson, J. G. (1984) ‘Why Was British Growth So Slow During the Industrial Revolution?’, Journal of Economic History vol. 44, no. 3 (September), pp. 687–712.
Williamson, J. G. (1985a) Did British Capitalism Breed Inequality? (London: Allen S Unwin).
Williamson, J. G. (1985b) ‘The Urban Transition in England, 1776–1871: A Demographic Reconstruction’, HIER Discussion Paper no. 1146, Harvard University (April). Presented to the PAA Meetings, Boston (28–30 March 1985).
Williamson, J. G. (1986) ‘Did British Labor Markets Fail During the Industrial Revolution?’, HIER Discussion Paper no. 1209, Harvard University (March).
Williamson, J. G. (forthcoming) ‘Migrant Earnings in Britain’s Cities in 1851: Testing Competing Views of Urban Labor Market Absorption’, Journal of European Economic History.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1989 International Economic Association
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Williamson, J.G. (1989). The Constraints on Industrialisation: Some Lessons from the First Industrial Revolution. In: Williamson, J.G., Panchamukhi, V.R. (eds) The Balance between Industry and Agriculture in Economic Development. International Economic Association Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19746-0_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19746-0_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-19748-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-19746-0
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)