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Jakob Molinder . Photo

Jakob Molinder

Researcher

Jakob Molinder . Photo

More power to the people : Electricity adoption, technological change and social conflict

Author

  • Kerstin Enflo
  • Jakob Molinder
  • Tobias Karlsson

Summary, in English

History has shown that new technology can disrupt societies, and current developments in automation have raised anxious speculation on what might happen if stable middle-class jobs are taken over by machines. This column analyses the impact of technological change on labour markets and social protests, taking the case of the adoption of electricity in early 20th century Sweden. It finds that electrification did increase the incidence of local strikes, but that disputes were associated with workers demanding higher wages and better working conditions rather than attempting to block innovation.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History
  • Centre for Economic Demography

Publishing year

2019-10-23

Language

English

Document type

Web publication

Publisher

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Topic

  • Economic History

Status

Published

Project

  • From Sundsvall to Saltsjöbaden: A regional perspective on strikes at the Swedish labor market