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Energy consumption in E ngland and I taly, 1560–1913. Two pathways toward energy transition
Author(s) -
Malanima Paolo
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the economic history review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.014
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1468-0289
pISSN - 0013-0117
DOI - 10.1111/ehr.12109
Subject(s) - energy consumption , consumption (sociology) , work (physics) , economics , urbanization , energy (signal processing) , product (mathematics) , economy , economic growth , engineering , sociology , mathematics , ecology , statistics , biology , mechanical engineering , social science , geometry
The displacement of the centre of the E uropean economy from the M editerranean to the A tlantic and the beginning of north–south divergence in E urope has been discussed on the basis of data on real wages, urbanization rates, and, more recently, estimates of gross domestic product for a number of E uropean countries. The purpose of the present article is to contribute to this line of research with the elaboration of yearly series of total energy consumption in I taly and E ngland for the long period 1560–1913. New data on energy services, energy intensity, and, finally, social savings from the use of energy are also presented and discussed for both I taly and E ngland. These new data allow us to specify that energy played a central role. Yet it was relatively late that its importance as a provider of mechanical work developed fully; that is, from 1830 onwards in England and from the end of the nineteenth century in I taly.