SCIENCE, INSTITUTIONS, AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In Part I, we argue that science as it was then understood was more important for the Industrial Revolution than is generally accepted. Newton's mechanics, which were a generalization of early modern piecemeal scientific discoveries, permeated British society and provided the necessary intellectual basis of the British Industrial Revolution. In Part II, we use our thesis to explore some contentious issues in long-run growth: Why did the IR occur in Europe? Why in Britain? Why not in China or Islam?