Engineering and labor specialization during the industrial revolution
| Autor: | Darrell J. Glaser, Ahmed S. Rahman |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
Economics and Econometrics
History Economic growth Technological change ComputerApplications_COMPUTERSINOTHERSYSTEMS jel:O3 jel:N3 Dilemma Officer Power (social and political) Navy jel:J2 jel:N7 Skilled labor complementarity Skill-replacing and skill-using technology Labor allocation Workforce Specialization (functional) jel:J7 Economics Marketing Industrial Revolution |
| Zdroj: | Cliometrica. 8:173-200 |
| ISSN: | 1863-2513 1863-2505 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11698-013-0098-y |
| Popis: | This paper explores how technological changes affected labor allocations within the U.S. Navy. During the latter nineteenth century, the officer corps was highly specialized, split between groups of line and staff officers. Developments in general purpose technologies created a dilemma for the organization, as it balanced between the benefits of a specialized workforce implementing increasingly complex technologies with rising communication and coordination costs. We first document the nature and extent of labor specialization in the mid-nineteenth-century Navy—engineers worked more with newer and larger vessels, while line officers worked more with unskilled personnel. The Navy endeavored to destroy this distinction, forcing generalized training and tasks for all officers. We suggest that the Navy’s phased-in approach was an effective strategy, helping the U.S. to become a world-class naval power. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full text from SpringerLink