Early Industrial Research Articles

National and international components in contemporary architecture and design

The article examines one of the unique aspects of design – the national component. The history of design demonstrates to us the importance of the national component in the formation of object-based shaping, its development in the industrial and post-industrial eras. In the conditions of post-industrial design, the role of the national component is growing and is increasingly revealed in its various directions, from object design to design of the urban environment. Through the prism of the interaction between national and international components in design, we can scrutinise design’s entire history. Using specific examples, applying phenomenal-geographical and synergetic approaches, the authors formulate the main models of the evolution of the national component in the design of different countries. As a result, 6 models of interaction of the national and international components in the subject design of the twentieth century were identified. They are «the constant of the national component», «transformation (expansion) of the national component into the international», «synchronization of the national and international components», «replacement of the national component with the international», «conglomeration of international and national components», «autonomy of national and international components». Graphic visualizations of models of countries – design nations are presented on the example of Japan, USA, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia.

Public hearings as an institution of deliberative democracy in major Russian and American cities

Currently, public hearings are one of the most widespread forms of deliberative municipal democracy in Russia. This high level of demand, combined with critique of legal regulations and the practices for bringing this system to reality – justified, in the meantime, by its development (for example, by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Public Chambers of the Russian Federation) of proposals for the correction of corresponding elements of the legal code – make both the study of Russian experiences in this sphere and comparative studies of legal regulations and practical usage of public hearings in Russia and abroad extremely relevant. This article is an attempt to make a contribution to this field of scientific study. If the appearance of public hearings in Russia as an institution of Russian municipal law is connected with the passing of the Federal Law of 6 October 2003 No.131-FZ, “On the general organisational principles of local government in the Russian Federation,” then in the United States, this institution has existed since the beginning of the 20th century, with mass adoption beginning in the 1960s. In this time, the United States has accumulated significant practical experience in the use of public hearings and their legal formulation. Both countries are large federal states, with their own regional specifics and diversity, the presence of three levels of public authority and different principles of federalism, which cause differences in the legal regulation of municipal public hearings. For this reason, this article undertakes a comparative legal analysis of Russian and American experiences of legal regulation and practical use of public hearings, on the example of several major municipalities – the cities of Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. A comparison of laws influencing the public hearing processes in these cities is advisable, given the colossal growth in the role of city centers in the industrial and post-industrial eras. Cities in particular are the primary centers for economic growth, the spread of innovations, progressive public policy and the living environment for the majority of both Russian and American citizens. The cities under research are one of the largest municipalities in the two countries by population, and on such a scale, the problem of involving residents in solving local issues is especially acute. In this context, improving traditional institutions of public participation is a timely challenge for the legislator, and the experiences of these cities are worth describing. The unique Russian context for legal regulations of public hearings involves the combination of overarching federal law and specific municipal decrees that regulate the hearing process. There are usually two municipal acts regulating public hearings on general issues of the city district (charter, budget, etc.) and separately on urban planning. In the United States, the primary regulation of public hearings is assigned to the state and municipality level, with a whole series of corresponding laws and statutes; meanwhile, methodological recommendations play a specific role in the organisation of hearings, which are issued by the state department of a given state. It is proposed that regulating the corresponding relationships at the federal subject level will permit a combination of the best practices of legal administration with local nuances, thereby reinforcing the guarantee of the realization of civil rights to self-government. There are other features in the process of organizing and conducting public hearings in the United States, which, as shown in the article, can be perceived by Russian lawmakers as well in order to create an updated construct of public discussions at the local level.

Technical and Cultural Perspectives of Charcoal Burning in Nineteenth Century Wisconsin, USA

Iron production in the United States was fueled entirely by charcoal until the mid-nineteenth century when coal and coke began to dominate as the preferred fuel. Even so, charcoal iron production increased in absolute terms until 1890 and continued until 1945. The early iron industry could not have existed without the secondary charcoal burning (production) industry. Charcoal burning was an important industry in regions with iron production, provided a market for wood after the clearing of land for agricultural production, and contributed to forest depletion near charcoal iron furnaces. We describe technical and cultural aspect of the charcoal burning industry in Wisconsin, part of a region with significant charcoal iron production. Charcoal was produced in pits and kilns. Our discussion centers on pit production of charcoal. Production methodology via pits is discussed in detail, illustrating production techniques common to both charcoal pits and kilns. Charcoal burning’s contribution to forest depletion is part of that discussion.

The English East India Company's Silk Enterprise in Bengal, 1750–1850: Economy, Empire and Business by Karolina Hutková

Reviewed by: The English East India Company's Silk Enterprise in Bengal, 1750–1850: Economy, Empire and Business by Karolina Hutková Aparajita Mukhopadhyay (bio) The English East India Company's Silk Enterprise in Bengal, 1750–1850: Economy, Empire and Business By Karolina Hutková. London: Boydell Press, 2019. Pp. 275. The English East India Company's Silk Enterprise in Bengal, 1750–1850: Economy, Empire and Business By Karolina Hutková. London: Boydell Press, 2019. Pp. 275. Karolina Hutková's book is a welcome addition to our understanding of technology transfer in colonial context and its wider consequences on the colony and the metropole. The book focuses on English East India Company's (hereafter EEIC) "silk enterprise" in Bengal from 1750 to 1850. The book sits at the intersection of global history, history of technology transfer, and business history in the eighteenth century and beyond. The narrative reflects overlapping strands of these distinct historiographies. The introduction situates EEIC's silk enterprise in the wider debates about the role and impact of EEIC's policies on Bengal's economy—and the history of EEIC and British political economy. The first chapter is an overview of the early modern silk industry across the globe. It also contextualizes EEIC's silk enterprise in Bengal. Next, the book shows how Britain's inability to produce raw silk necessitated the search for potential sources of supply (ch. 2). This need, Hutková argues, was underpinned by principles of mercantilism. Consequently, Britain preferred a region within their expanding empire. Bengal [End Page 593] became a "natural" choice, especially after the failed experiments with silk production in the Atlantic. The book then discusses how EEIC embarked on its silk enterprise in Bengal (ch. 3, 4) and why the peculiarities of silk production in Bengal made raw silk production a profitable venture (ch. 5). The last two chapters focus on metropolitan Britain. The author argues that the aforementioned advantages were lost in the nineteenth century as laissez-faire became the preferred economic principle and EEIC lost its monopoly rights to trade in Asia (ch. 6). She then shows how disinclination in investing in raw silk production forced a formerly profitable sector to eventually disappear, with deleterious consequences for Bengal's economy (ch. 7). The book makes an important contribution to the ongoing and contentious debates among historians and non-academics about the impact of imperial policies on economic fortunes of colonies. It also throws light on an instance of successful technology transfer in a colonial setting. Nevertheless, it is important to ask what is new about underlining how imperial policies did not have salutary impact on the economies of colonies. This is a lesser-known story, but there is no denying the idea of "deindustrialization" as a consequence of imperial policies is time-worn. At a related level, there is an important inconsistency in the central hypothesis of the book. Hutková claims the "research challenges the perception that deindustrialization was the outcome of exploitative British institutions" (p. 4); yet in the same page she writes how the nineteenth-century decline in raw silk production was an unintended result of the shift to laissez-faire policies in Britain. Unless the operative word here is "unintended"—and the author proffers evidence that is absent from the book—it is difficult to balance two such radically opposite views. Technology transfer is an equally important theme of the book. Yet, there is little use (except Ben Marsh's work on the United States) of the wider historiography of the subject—especially the recent literature about technology transfer in colonial South Asia, which focuses on limits (or lack thereof) of the process, including highlighting interactions between imported technologies and local societies. The absence of historiography in this book is particularly surprising, as some of the themes repeatedly underlined in the chapters (such as learning by doing, reliance on local knowledge, and resistance by silk farmers) show how even successful technology transfer in a colony was underpinned by more than financial investment and the desire for profit in the metropole. Also, the discussion is primarily about Britain and India, with a smattering of information about silk in the early modern world—a rather diminutive outcome for a book...

Лахути IV – новая стоянка раннего палеолита в долине реки Оби-Мазар (Южный Таджикистан)

The article presents the results of a joint Russian-Tajik geoarchaeological expedition in the middle reaches of the Obi-Mazar River (Republic of Tajikistan). During 2021 fieldwork two Tajikistan Loess Palaeolithic sites were studied: Kuldara (14 pedocomplexes) and Obi-Mazar (7 pedocomplexes). A significant amount of palaeogeographic work was carried out at both sites including sampling for a wide range of geological analyses. At Kuldara, five excavation trenches were established and a small amount of artifacts from pedocomplexes 4 and 5 as well as a few items from PC’s 10 and 11 were collected. Lakhuti IV corresponding to PC 5 was found between the known sites of Obi-Mazar-6 and Lakhuti I. The excavation area was 6 m2 and 2.2 m deep. Archaeological material (662 specimens) was deposited at 8 levels, but can be regarded a single industry. The primary reduction is based on several simple flaking techniques — radial flaking from a single surface, citron and parallel flaking. Some cores were prepared on large and thick spalls; the ventral surface was used as a prepared flaking surface. “Citron flakes” were also found (~ 8 % of the total number of flakes). Not a single blade was discovered. The complex contains roughly equal proportions of scrapers on large spalls, notched-denticulate tools and unifaces. According to the available set of geological data for the Obi-Mazar Valley, PC 5 is dated to ca. 0.5 Ma. The Lahuti IV materials have parallels in the synchronous Early Palaeolithic industries of Tajikistan. A distinctive feature of this site is a very high concentration of artifacts and their occurrence in well-defined cultural horizons, which is recorded for the first time at Loessic Palaeolithic sites.

Diachronous Settlement on the Territory of the Turgay Trough

The article introduces into the scholarship the collection of findings of prehistoric material culture obtained at Bestamak during the stationary studies of 2001 field season. The total area of the archaeological site is 260,000 m2. It was excavated by Turgay expedition in the 1980s. Bestamak settlement is situated on the Turgay trough connecting the West Siberian and Turan plains. In the west, the Turgay trough is bounded by the Trans-Ural Plateau; in the east — by the Kazakh upland and spurs of the Ulutau mountains. Natural and geographical features of Turgay trough allow for their cultural layers to mainly contain diachronous material, with Bestamak serving as an example. Due to this specificity, the collections of stone industry discovered in the monuments of the Turgay trough should be studied on the basis of technical and typological analysis, the main parameters of which being products of primary cleavage; morphological parameters of the plates, the size of plates and tools on the plates; percentage ratio of ingots and tools from plates and rock flakes; secondary processing methods; typological composition of tool kit. The composition of raw materials is used as an independent indicator. In the course of the research, the author concluded that the primary cleavage, nuclei “rejuvenation” and secondary processing of blanks were performed on the site of the settlement. Judging by the results of the technical and typological analysis, the stone industry was deposited from the end of the Mesolithic-the Early Neolithic to the Late Eneolithic. The Neolithic stone industries, starting from the early and late Eneolithic, are predominant at Bestamak. The presence of Mesolithic and Early Eneolithic stone industries on the site is just an assumption. Fragments of ceramics and metal products suggest that people stayed at Bestamak until Late Bronze.

Исследование комплексов среднего и верхнего палеолита Денисовой пещеры в 2021 году

The authors present results of the studies of the lithic industries associated with the upper part of the Pleistocene deposits in the South Chamber of Denisova Cave; the lithics were recovered in the course of excavations in 2021. The collection of artifacts from layers 12, 11, and 9 includes over 4,000 items. According to the absolute dates of the Pleistocene layers in the entryway zone of the South Chamber, layer 12 formed in the second half of MIS 4, and layer 11 accumulated in the first half of MIS 3. The sediments of layer 9 are presumably associated with MIS 2. Primary reduction strategy of the Middle Paleolithic complex from layer 12 is characterized by the use of the Levallois technique of detaching flakes, blades and points. Other cores were fashioned through parallel and radial reduction, which is fully consistent with the flake industry. Side-scrapers of various types are most numerous in the toolkit. The Early Upper Paleolithic industry associated with layer 11is based on the well developed blade technique, incl. small and micro-blade production. Most of the items in the list of typologically significant tools are the tools of the apparent Upper Paleolithic morphology — end-scrapers, burins, retouched blades, backed bladelets and micro-blades, perforators and chisel-like tools. The small archaeological collection from layer 9, as well as the industry from layer 11, is characterized by the well-developed lamellar reduction and the Upper Paleolithic types in the toolkit. This complex illustrates continuous development of the Upper Paleolithic traditions at the medial stage of this period.

Древнейший комплекс стоянки Шуйдунгоу-1 (Северный Китай) и его позиция в схеме вариабельности начального верхнего палеолита Южной Сибири и восточной части Центральной Азии

This article is intended to review the lithic assemblage from lowermost cultural level of the Shuidonggou 1 site (northern China). From the onset of investigation, this laminar assemblage was accepted as an example of intrusive event in the local cultural continuity. Technology and typology of the Shuidonggou 1 assemblage found its closest parallels in the lithic industries from the early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex of southern Siberia and eastern Central Asia. In the present article, we demonstrate, based on published data and the authors’ personal observations, the position of the lowermost Shuidonggou 1 assemblage (ca. 41 ka BP) within the realm of the early Upper Paleolithic blade industries in surrounding regions, namely Kara-Bom site (Altai Mountains) and Tolbor 4 and Tolbor 21 sites (Northern Mongolia). In this study, we demonstrates that except for the distinct Levallois technological component, the Shuidonggou assemblage presented all core reduction techniques typical of the early Upper Paleolithic technological package present in southern Siberia and Central Asia. The same is true for the special tool types (end scrapers, various points on blades, etc.). The tool markers specific for the early Upper Paleolithic evidenced in Shuidonggou 1 are provided in a short list (3 out of 7 tool types) and include points with the ventral bulb trimming, oblique/truncated points, and stemmed blades. It can be concluded that despite somewhat chronologically later position in the cultural-chronological sequence of southern Siberian and Central Asian early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex, the Shuidonggou 1 site demonstrates high degree of similarity with the early Upper Paleolithic assemblages: Kara-Bom UP2 and Tolbor 4 AH5. We suppose that this industry is a typical example of the early Upper Paleolithic industry with respect to potential influence of raw material peculiarities, and being in a remote location compared to geographical core of the early Upper Paleolithic, it may provide an example of the first wave of these populations developed in isolation.

Agricultural Institutions, Industrialization and Growth: the Case of New Zealand and Uruguay in 1870-1940

Abstract In this paper we apply a model of early industrialization to the case of New Zealand and Uruguay in 1870-1940. We show how di_erences in agricultural institutions may have produced di_erent development paths in two countries which were similar under many respects. While in New Zealand the active role of the Crown in regulating the land market facilitated access to land, in Uruguay land was seized by a small group of large landowners. Our model shows that land concentration may have negatively inuenced industrialization and growth by impeding the formation of a large group of middle-income landowners and, as a consequence, the development of a domestic demand for basic manufactures. We support this view with a comparative analysis of agricultural institutions and industrial development in New Zealand and Uruguay

Early Middle Paleolithic Industries in Southeastern Dagestan

This study addresses lithic assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic sites Darvagchay-Zaliv-1 and Darvagchay-Zaliv-4, which are highly relevant to the understanding of this stage in Dagestan. We examine paleoclimatic conditions prevailing during the sedimentation at these sites. A detailed description of lithics is provided. Artifacts were discovered in a minimally disturbed paleosol. They represent the Middle Paleolithic, specifi cally Levallois technique of primary reduction. Judging by the presence of unlined fi re-pits and the fact that fi nds are scattered over a large area, we infer that these sites evidence multiple short-term occupation. The dates of the sites fall within the Riss-Wurm (Eemian, Mikulino) interstadial (MIS 5e)—ca 125-110 ka BP. Parallels with coeval sites in Dagestan and elsewhere in the Caucasus are discussed. Whereas no direct parallels with any Caucasian Middle Paleolithic industries can be found, those of Darvagchay-Zaliv-1 and Darvagchay-Zaliv-4 are consistent with the general evolutionary trajectory of the Caucasian Paleolithic.

Late-stage Product Development and Approvals by Biotechnology Companies After Initial Public Offering, 1997–2016

PurposeThis work describes the late-stage product portfolios of the biotechnology companies that completed initial public offerings (IPOs) from 1997 to 2016. We asked whether these emerging companies continue to develop innovative, biologic products and produce the innovation promised by the early biotechnology industry. MethodsWe identified therapeutic products that reached Phase III development from 1997 to 2016, the characteristics of the products, the dates of the initiation of Phase III and product approval, proxy indicators of the innovativeness of each product, and the contribution of each biotechnology company. Companies were characterized by IPO window and clinical status of the most advanced product at IPO. Time from IPO to Phase III or approval, and the estimated probability of a company having a product advance to these milestones, were examined using Kaplan–Meier analysis. FindingsA total of 319 biotechnology companies completed IPOs from 1997 to 2016. These companies contributed to the development of 367 products that progressed to Phase III, and of 144 new drug approvals, through 2016. The estimated probability of a company having a product reach Phase III was 78%, and the estimated probability of a company receiving at least 1 product approval was 52%, with most approvals occurring >5 years after IPO. Small-molecule drugs represented 74% of products reaching Phase III and 78% of approvals. Reformulations represented 36% of Phase III products and 46% of approvals. The estimated probability of product approval was significantly higher for reformulations than new molecular entities (NMEs) and slightly higher for small molecules than biologics. The estimated probability of a company receiving product approval varied significantly by IPO window and was greater for companies with Phase III products at IPO (74%). These companies contributed to the development of 78 NMEs, 44% of which were classified as first in class, initiating development of 69% and contributing to the clinical development of 96%. These products represented 16% of all NMEs and 28% of biologics approved between 1997 and 2016. Seven products achieved per-annum sales of >$1 billion during the study period. ImplicationsThe majority of emerging publicly owned biotechnology companies contribute to products that advance to Phase III development and approval, although these companies are no longer distinctively focused on biologic products.

Russian Preference for Red Printed Cotton from Central Asia and Industrialization

Abstract The industrialized countries had unfavorable natural circumstances in comparison with Asia. But, as Europe had a preference for Indian commodities, it tried to find ways to import-substitute them. As a result, Europe created science and technology, constructed the transatlantic trade system and import-substituted Indian printed cotton. As Russia also tried to import-substitute “red” printed cotton from Central Asian, it achieved its early industrialization. Thus, it can be concluded that when a certain national ongoing appreciation or preference persists for a long time (in this case, three centuries), even if circumstances are unfavorable, obstacles can eventually be overcome and the object in question obtained, even if indirectly. In the case of Russia, their preference for “red” printed cotton from Central Asia promoted the modern cotton industry.

So Who Cares? Taking Livingston out of Africa

So Who Cares? Taking Livingston out of Africa

Shallow roots: The early oil palm industry in Southeast Asia, 1848–1940

In most narratives, the beginning of the oil palm industry in Southeast Asia boils down to entrepreneurial spirit, scientific research, and good fortune. The colonial context in which the industry emerged barely figures in the story. This article argues that colonial power was critical, providing access to land and labour that proved more important than plant selection, capital, or technology. The plantation model pushed the region ahead of Africa as the leading exporter of palm oil by the late 1930s, but its future was in doubt as the Depression and Second World War shattered the colonial order.

Positional spelling redistribution: word-initial <u>/<v> and <i>/<j> in Early Modern English (1500–1700)

The alternations in <u>/<v> and <i>/<j> are among the most well-known and commented-upon changes in Early Modern English spellings, yet little has been said about the potential factors underlying their standardisation, and whether and how the two alternant pairs could be linked together. The reason behind this knowledge gap may be found in the absence of a large-scale, quantitative investigation of these spellings, and consequently, the impossibility of commenting upon the relationship between patterns of chronological development and potential causes of change. This article focuses on the standardisation of word-initial <u>/<v> and <i>/<j> between 1500 and 1700 in printed English, and uses a quantitative model for the analysis of patterns of diachronic development in the two alternant pairs, across a range of texts from a sampled version ofEarly English Books Online. The results describe a rather abrupt, synchronised change in the redistribution of word-initial <u>/<v> and <i>/<j> between the 1620s and the 1640s. The discussion argues for a close connection between the diachronic developments in word-initial <u>/<v> and <i>/<j>, and pragmatic factors that affected the Early Modern English printing industry.

Why Did German Early Industrial Capitalists Suggest Workers’ Pensions, Arbitration Boards and Minimum Wages?

Abstract Today at the beginning of the 21st century, there is a debate across Europe about how much welfare society should provide, and how much private insurance is possible. Two hundred years ago, in the formative period of industrial capitalism, social problems had long been left to private initiative. Commodification of labour and its concentration in large factories, however, created demand for social protection beyond the limited shelter provided by charity. Representatives of industry in Aachen suggested compulsory factory rules granting rights to workers, compulsory workers’ pension funds, minimum wages and maximum working hours. The article argues that the industrialists’ aim was to stabilize the social order of industrial capitalism by using ideas of social partnership. Labour should not just be pacified, but reconciled with capitalist society. While interpreting social policy as a capitalist aim, the article aims to contribute to the discussion about the origins of the welfare state.

NECESSITATING FACTORS TO NIGERIAN FAILURE ON PALM OIL

The oil palm tree, is originally a native crop of the tropical forest of West Africa. Palm oil trade emergedduring the British Industrial Revolution, whereby it was used for machines lubrication. Nigeria is among thefew places where the fruit was first discovered before the 14th century. Palm oil serves as the main vegetableoil produced globally, generating almost 60% of international trade in vegetable oils. In 1960s, Nigeria wasthe largest palm oil-producing and exporting country in the world. This accounted for forty-three percent ofentire palm oil global production, but the production entirely declined as a result of other factors that causedslow growth in palm oil production, while the domestic consumption has increased. Now it produces ameagre 1.7 percent of total world production which is insufficient for local consumption. Nigeria lost itsposition to Malaysia and Indonesia. Nigeria currently does not export palm oil, but it imports it fromMalaysia and Indonesia due to the local shortfall. The objective of this paper, explores the necessitatingfactors to Nigerian failure on palm oil, the paper is a qualitative research, it has adopted document analysis,the findings of the paper are the necessitating factors that led to the Nigerian failure on palm oil whichinclude; oil boom and decline in agriculture, civil war, traditional system of palm oil production, inconclusion, these factors are the failure to Nigerian palm oil production.
 Keywords: Nigerian Background, Oil Palm, Palm Oil, Necessitating Factors

Overcoming Equity-Related Challenges for the Education and Training Systems of Europe

This paper is a discussion of the challenges to equity faced by the education and training systems of the 28 EU countries (at time of writing), based on secondary sources and official reports by individual countries. The data are descriptive and simply summarised for this paper. The systems of all countries are fairly similar, modelled on those set up to deal with challenges of early industrialisation, and all now face several similar problems and opportunities. There is a clear correlation between family background, average attainment, and subsequent participation in education and training. All 28 countries show some signs of progress over time, both in terms of the absolute level of attainment, and in terms of reduced gaps between social and economic groups. These trends are historical, and thus hard to link to specific policies. However, looking at the common characteristics of countries with similar levels of equity can produce a tentative guide to its determinants. Some of the main suggestions are: More countries to set up monitoring systems for school intakes and outcomes; more robust evaluations of policy interventions; fair funding and opportunities for all students; extra funding for students facing challenges; no selection by ability or anything else; all taught in mainstream settings; no tracking or grade retention; more recognition of prior experience and learning; respectful interaction with all students; and use of context when allocating places in higher education, or simply more open access.

Black carbon deposited in Hariqin Glacier of the Central Tibetan Plateau record changes in the emission from Eurasia.

Black carbon (BC), by the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, has profound effects on climate change and glacier retreat in industrial eras. In the present study, we report refractory BC (rBC) in an ice core spanning 1850-2014, retrieved from the Hariqin Glacier of the Tanggula Mountains in the central Tibetan Plateau, measured using a single particle soot photometer (SP2). The rBC concentration shows a three-fold increase since the 1950s. The mean rBC concentration was 0.71±0.52ngmL-1 during 1850s-1940s and 2.11±1.60ngmL-1 during 1950s-2010s. The substantial increase in rBC since the 1950s is consistent with rBC ice core records from the Tibetan Plateau and Eastern Europe. According to the predominant atmospheric circulation patterns over the glacier and timing of changes in regional emissions, the post-1950 amplification of rBC concentration in the central Tibetan Plateau most likely reflects increases in emissions in Eastern Europe, former USSR, the Middle East, and South Asia. Despite the low-level background rBC concentrations in the ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau, the present study highlights a remarkable increase in anthropogenic BC emissions in recent decades and the consequent influence on glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau.

Status-seeking culture and development of capitalism

According to Werner Sombart’s classic text Luxury and Capitalism , the status-seeking behavior of individuals may facilitate the development of capitalism and an early industrialization. In this study, we develop a growth-theoretic framework to formalize this hypothesis by introducing a status-seeking preference into the Schumpeterian growth model of endogenous takeoff. Then, we explore how this cultural preference affects the transition of an economy from pre-industrial stagnation to modern economic growth. We find that the effects of status-seeking behaviors evolve across different stages of economic development. Specifically, a stronger preference for status seeking causes an earlier takeoff and increases economic growth in the short run but has an overall negative effect on the steady-state equilibrium growth rate. Finally, we calibrate the model to US data to perform a quantitative analysis and also use cross-country data to estimate the effects of status-seeking preference on economic growth.