"Knowledge and Industrial Development: The Stakes By "the first knowledge economy" we refer to the era of the Industrial Revolution, from roughly the 1760s to the 1850s, first in Britain and then in selected parts of northern and western Europe, with particular attention to Belgium"--

Many explanations have been offered for the British Industrial Revolution. This article points to the importance of human capital (broadly defined) and the quality of the British labor force on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. It shows that in terms of both physical quality and mechanical...