Comparing evolutionary dynamics across different national settings: the case of the synthetic dye industry, 1857-1914

E. Homburg, J.P. Murman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Current models of industry evolution suggest that development patterns should be the same across different levels of analysis. In comparing the evolution of the synthetic dye industry at the global level and in the five major producer countries before World War T (Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland and the United States), it is shown that patterns of industry evolution differed significantly across national contexts. Based on a quantitative and qualitative database of all firms and plants in the industry, the paper analyzes how German firms came to dominate the industry and identifies factors such as availabilities of crucial skills, economies of scale and scope, and positive feedback mechanisms between firms and national institutions that likely produced these national differences. The empirical analysis calls for formal models of evolution that incorporate differences in institutional environments.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)177-205
Number of pages29
JournalJournal of Evolutionary Economics
Volume11
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2001

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