Labor Scarcity, Finance, and Innovation: Evidence from Antebellum America
Loading...
No Access Until
Permanent Link(s)
Collections
Other Titles
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper establishes labor scarcity as an important economic channel through which access to finance shapes technological innovation. We exploit antebellum America, a unique setting with (1) staggered passage of free banking laws across states and (2) sharp differences in labor scarcity between slave and free states. We find that greater access to finance spurred technological innovation as measured by patenting activities, especially in free states where labor was relatively scarce. Interestingly, in slave states where slave labor was prevalent, access to finance encouraged technological innovation that substituted for free labor, but discouraged technological innovation that substituted for slave labor.
Journal / Series
Volume & Issue
Description
Sponsorship
Date Issued
2018-03-18
Publisher
Keywords
antebellum America; free banking laws; finance and innovation; labor scarcity
Location
Effective Date
Expiration Date
Sector
Employer
Union
Union Local
NAICS
Number of Workers
Committee Chair
Committee Co-Chair
Committee Member
Degree Discipline
Degree Name
Degree Level
Related Version
Related DOI
Related To
Related Part
Based on Related Item
Has Other Format(s)
Part of Related Item
Related To
Related Publication(s)
Link(s) to Related Publication(s)
References
Link(s) to Reference(s)
Previously Published As
Government Document
ISBN
ISMN
ISSN
Other Identifiers
Rights
Required Publisher Statement: Copyright held by the authors. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Rights URI
Types
preprint