The role of technology and institutions for growth: Danish creameries in the late nineteenth century

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of technology and institutions for growth

T2 - Danish creameries in the late nineteenth century

AU - Henriksen, Ingrid

AU - Lampe, Markus

AU - Sharp, Paul Richard

PY - 2011/12

Y1 - 2011/12

N2 - We consider the relative contributions of changing technology and institutions for economic growth through the investigation of a natural experiment in history: the almost simultaneous introduction of the automatic cream separator and the cooperative ownership form in the Danish dairy industry from around 1880. Using a new database of statistics from creameries and the tool of stochastic frontier analysis, we find that both institutions and technology were important for the success of the Danish dairy industry and, by implication, the growth and early development of the Danish economy.

AB - We consider the relative contributions of changing technology and institutions for economic growth through the investigation of a natural experiment in history: the almost simultaneous introduction of the automatic cream separator and the cooperative ownership form in the Danish dairy industry from around 1880. Using a new database of statistics from creameries and the tool of stochastic frontier analysis, we find that both institutions and technology were important for the success of the Danish dairy industry and, by implication, the growth and early development of the Danish economy.

U2 - 10.1017/S1361491611000128

DO - 10.1017/S1361491611000128

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1361-4916

VL - 15

SP - 475

EP - 493

JO - European Review of Economic History

JF - European Review of Economic History

IS - 3

ER -