Spinning Tales about Japanese Cotton Spinning: Saxonhouse (1974) and Lessons from New Data

We revisit the story of technology adoption and diffusion in Japan's Meiji-era cotton spinning industry, the study of which was pioneered by Gary Saxonhouse (1974). Using a novel data set and modern methodology, we argue that both the ease with which the best technology diffused and the role of...

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Published in:The Journal of economic history 2015-06, Vol.75 (2), p.364-404
Main Authors: Braguinsky, Serguey, Hounshell, David A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agribusiness
Cooperation
Cotton
Economic history
Engineers
Industrial development
International
Japanese history
Spinning
Stockholders
Studies
Technology
Technology adoption
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description We revisit the story of technology adoption and diffusion in Japan's Meiji-era cotton spinning industry, the study of which was pioneered by Gary Saxonhouse (1974). Using a novel data set and modern methodology, we argue that both the ease with which the best technology diffused and the role of “slavish imitation” in this process may have been overstated. We find an important role played by market competition, including asset reallocation. Our analyses provide richer insights into the complex phenomena of technology diffusion, innovation, and economic growth.
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subjects Agribusiness
Cooperation
Cotton
Economic history
Engineers
Industrial development
International
Japanese history
Spinning
Stockholders
Studies
Technology
Technology adoption
title Spinning Tales about Japanese Cotton Spinning: Saxonhouse (1974) and Lessons from New Data
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