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Tobias Karlsson . Photo

Tobias Karlsson

Director of first and second cycle studies, Department of Economic History, Senior lecturer

Tobias Karlsson . Photo

More Power to the People: Electriciy Adoption, Technological Change and Labour Conflict

Author

  • Jakob Molinder
  • Tobias Karlsson
  • Kerstin Enflo

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