The research university, invention and industry: evidence from German history

Dittmar, Jeremiah Edward and Meisenzahl, Ralph R. (2022) The research university, invention and industry: evidence from German history. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1856). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

We examine the role of universities in knowledge production and industrial change using historical evidence. Political shocks led to a profound pro-science shift in German universities around 1800. To study the consequences, we construct novel microdata. We find that invention and manufacturing developed similarly in cities closer to and farther from universities in the 1700s and shifted towards universities and accelerated in the early 1800s. The shift in manufacturing was strongest in new and high knowledge industries. After 1800, the adoption of mechanized technology and the number and share of firms winning international awards for innovation were higher near universities.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/discussion...
Additional Information:	© 2022 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Economics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD2329 Industrialization H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O14 - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O18 - Regional, Urban, and Rural Analyses O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Technological Change; Research and Development > O30 - General N - Economic History > N1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations > N13 - Europe: Pre-1913 R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R10 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I20 - General
Date Deposited:	16 Jan 2023 16:33
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2024 11:54
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/117904

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