Multifactor productivity growth in the U.S. economy between 1919 and 1929 was almost entirely attributable to advance within manufacturing. Distributing steam power mechanically over shafts and belts required multistory buildings for economical operation. The widespread diffusion of electric...

‘This is essential reading for anybody interested in global history.’ -Professor Ugo Panizza, The Graduate Institute of Geneva, Switzerland This illuminating book offers a compact survey and new interpretation of trends and policies in the US economy from the end of the nineteenth century to...