British Economic Growth 1856-1973

Abstract

The subject of this book is the course and causes of British economic growth from the middle of the nineteenth century until 1973. The approach is quantitative in that it is heavily statistical while being well grounded in economic theory. Special emphasis is placed on growth in the period since World War II in comparison with growth in earlier periods. The pattern of growth was U‐shaped: it declined from above 2% a year in the mid‐nineteenth century to zero during World War I and rose again to nearly 3% in the post‐World War II period. The superior performance of the post‐war period is accounted for by faster growth of total factor productivity (TFP), with total factor input growing more slowly despite a historically high rate of investment. The main exogenous factors contributing to the U‐shaped pattern of output and TFP growth are identified. The scope for catching up with technologically more advanced economies increased over time, and they themselves were innovating more rapidly in the post‐war period. Labour attitudes and managerial and entrepreneurial quality worsened in the latter part of the nineteenth century and improved in the twentieth century, partly because of the jolt to institutions administered by the World Wars. Foreign competition, especially in agriculture, and the exhaustion of TFP possibilities in textiles and coal mining also contributed to the decline in growth in the first half of the period. Throughout, and especially in the post‐war period, capital…