Research

Abstract:

We present a microlevel database of Irish cooperative creameries covering the period 1897-1921. The data were hand collected from the annual reports of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS) and contain information from 531 creameries and covering 49 variables. We perform some initial analysis of the data, finding considerable heterogeneity in the productivity of creameries as measured by the milk/butter ratio. We focus on differences between the four historical provinces of Ireland, finding that the south of Ireland (the historical centre of butter production) was on average less productive than the north at the start of the period, although this changes after 1913, when Ulster becomes the least productive province. These results present interesting avenues for future work, given the IAOS’ focus on founding creameries in the north of the island.

Abstract:

The rapid spread of the Danish dairy cooperatives from the 1880s until the First World War is often portrayed as a uniform wave which swept the country. We investigate this using exceptionally detailed micro-level panel data taken from the Operational Statistics of Creameries, which were published from 1898 until after the Second World War. The rich data comprise 1418 creameries over the period 1898- 1945 and no less than 136 variables. We document the data, and use a simple fixed effects setup to demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in the productivity of the individual creameries both over time and across space. We conclude by suggesting reasons for this, including scale of production, accessibility of fuel, religious institutions, and more.

Abstract: 

The Danish and Irish agricultural sectors are often compared with each other given the relative success/failure of the dairy sectors of each country and their competition for the lucrative British butter market over the period 1870 to 1914. The traditional narrative implicitly assumes that Ireland failed because it was unsuccessful at adopting the cooperative institution and that Irish cooperative creameries were not as efficient as their Danish counterparts. However, this assumption is untested at the ‘firm’ level and this project aims to do so by collecting and analyzing data from Irish cooperatives. This paper seeks to ascertain if Irish cooperatives were in fact less efficient than Danish cooperatives. Or, as Henriksen et al. (2015) postulate, did competition from rival private and cooperative creameries undermine cooperative creameries in Ireland. If cooperatives were equally efficient, this would transform our understanding of Irish economic history, since it would imply that it was not the Irish cooperatives but rather an over-saturated market which was at fault.

Abstract:

Economic historians have debated the importance of energy for economic development. Energy economists would argue that energy systems need to be adaptable in the face of shocks. In this light, we consider the case of Denmark, a country which was almost entirely dependent on imports of coal, and where a long coastline made imports, largely from the UK, cheap and available. Towards the end of the First World War, however, and well into the 1920s, coal imports were cut off or difficult to obtain. We exploit detailed microlevel data from butter factories, covering the period 1900-28. We find that firms were able to adapt and make use of alternative fuels, notably peat, although its availability varied across the country. Employing a difference-in-differences approach, we find significant productivity advantages for creameries closer to available peat fields in the wake of the coal shortage.

Abstract:

The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed a large part of the City of London. We use hand-collected data on the location of markets and financial services to provide the first quantitative investigation of the short and medium run impact of the Great Fire on economic activity in the City of London and its surrounding areas. While the City was quickly rebuilt and economic activity returned, we also find a substantial relocation of economic and financial activity within and outside the City by 1690. Especially the development of the City of Westminster benefited from the Great Fire.

Abstract:

During the 19th century, Denmark underwent significant technological and institutional change in the dairying industry. The introduction of a new technology, the cream separator, that automated the procedure of butter making combined with a massive expansion of the cooperative movement made a great impact on the way creameries operated as well as their productivity. At the same time, the fertility transition took place in most Europe between late 18th century and early 20th century. Often industrialization created new job opportunities not only for men, but also for women. Specifically in the Danish case, industrialization came through the agricultural sector. However, in the dairying industry it created technological unemployment for women, as their manual work from home was replaced by the cream separators in cooperatives. We study the impact of women's technological unemployment on their fertility. We use historical census data provided by the Danish Demographic Database to create a panel of rural parishes and we combine it with a measure of market potential of cooperatives. In a difference-in-differences setup, we find that close to cream separators the fertility of married women declines after the introduction of the technology. We are seeking to understand the mechanisms that drive this decline  through a cohort analysis. 

Keywords: fertility transition, technological unemployment, Denmark