| The purpose of this dissertation is to present an economic history of technological change and choice in the cotton textiles industries of Japan and India. It includes an analysis of the relative growths and developments of the two industries in terms of technological change represented by the production of new ideas, patenting, the diffusion of innovations, and the ultimate productivity change caused by innovation application.;Chapter Four presents a cliometric analysis of interfirm differences in the speed of the diffusion of the ring spindle in India. Such differences are judged to be caused by variations in relative factor prices, management type, relative output prices, vertical integration, and firm size.;Also included are appendices which present detailed discussions of some of the empirical, technical, legal, economic and cultural issues associated with technological change and choices in the two countries. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.);This study presents a comparison of technological change and choice in the two industries from 1854 to 1940, presenting their international competitiveness, the effects of differences in culture, historical consequence, government policy, the effect of modernization on growth and development, and a comparative history of total factor productivity in both the weaving and spinning sectors of each country. The differences in productivity are explained by variations in: (1) the relative speeds of diffusion of various innovations; (2) output mix changes; (3) sources of capital embodied technology; (4) management and industry structure; (5) labor market structure, behavior, and performance; (6) relations between labor, government, and industry; (7) education and training of operatives, managers, and technicians; (8) patenting and inventing; (9) connections between patenting and productivity; (10) connections between investment and inventing; (11) the country-specific weltanschauung of modernization and change; and (12) culture, religion, society, and international politics. Underlying the comparison is the important diffusion of the ring spindle. The differences in its diffusion across these two industries is explained by variations in, inter alia, the use of mixing innovations, female labor, cultural taboos, management type, the desire for industry secrecy, the degree of development of raw cotton and other input markets, government policy, and industry "attitude". The simultaneous nature of historical processes is stressed. |
