What makes innovation possible? Insights from the Industrial Revolution
A roundtable on technology, ideas, and the lessons for today - in honour of Joel Mokyr's Nobel Prize
What truly drove the Industrial Revolution? While it is easy to focus on the remarkable advancements in steam power and the establishment of factories, historian Joel Mokyr posits that the revolution's most profound origins lie in the transformative power of ideas. This period was marked by an intellectual and cultural metamorphosis that converted knowledge into innovation, ultimately fueling sustained economic growth.
We invite you to join us for an engaging roundtable discussion that explores several critical themes:
- The Role of Enlightenment Values: Explore how the principles of the Enlightenment and a spirit of scientific inquiry played pivotal roles in fostering technological breakthroughs that changed the landscape of production and society.
- Britain as the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution: Investigate the unique combination of historical, social, and economic factors that positioned Britain at the forefront of industrialisation. What does this shift reveal about the significance of institutions and the incentives that drove entrepreneurs and inventors during this transformative period?
- Mokyr's Insights and Their Modern Relevance: Reflect on the lasting impact of Mokyr's perspectives and analyse how they continue to inform our understanding of innovation and progress in today's rapidly changing world.
This event will provide a valuable opportunity to engage critically with one of the most influential interpretations of the Industrial Revolution. Participants will be encouraged to think deeply about how the exchange of ideas not only shaped the past but also continues to influence our present and future.
A recording of this event will be made available here shortly afterwards.
Meet our speakers and chair
Alexandra de Pleijt is Assistant Professor in Economic History at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Her research focuses on the fundamental historical question of what triggers radical economic transitions, both today and in the past.
Alessandro Nuvolari is Professor of Economic History at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy. He specializes in the study of the role played by science and innovation in the emergence and consolidation of modern economic growth with a special focus on the Industrial Revolution in England and the industrialization of the Italian Economy.
Patrick Wallis is Professor of Economic History in the Department of Economic History at LSE. His research explores the economic, social and medical history of Britain and Europe from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.
Joan Roses is Professor of Economic History in the Department of Economic History at LSE. His research interests revolve around historical economic geography, long-term economic growth, well-being, and policy issues.
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