Jakob Molinder
Researcher
More Power to the People: Electriciy Adoption, Technological Change and Labour Conflict
Author
Summary, in English
Will technical change spur conflicts in the labor market? In this study, we examine electricity adoption in Sweden during the first decades of the twentieth century. Exploiting that proximity to hydropowered plants shaped the electricity network independently of previous local conditions, we estimate the impact of electricity on labor strikes. Our results indicate that electricity adoption preceded an increase in conflicts, but strikes were of an offensive nature and most common in sectors with increasing labor demand. This suggests that electrification provided workers with a stronger bargaining position from which they could voice their claims.
Department/s
- Department of Economic History
Publishing year
2021
Language
English
Pages
481-512
Publication/Series
Journal of Economic History
Volume
81
Issue
2
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Topic
- Economic History
Status
Published
Project
- From Sundsvall to Saltsjöbaden: A regional perspective on strikes at the Swedish labor market
- Labour Conflicts by location 1859–1938
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0022-0507