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Without coal in the age of steam and dams in the age of electricity : An explanation for the failure of Portugal to industrialize before the Second World War

Henriques, Sofia Teives LU and Sharp, Paul LU (2021) In European Review of Economic History 25(1). p.85-105
Abstract

We provide a natural resource explanation for the divergence of the Portuguese economy relative to other European countries before the Second World War. First, we demonstrate that a lack of domestic resources meant that Portugal experienced limited and unbalanced growth during the age of steam. Imports of coal were prohibitively expensive for inland areas. Coastal areas industrialized through steam but were constrained by limited demand from the interior. Second, we show that after the First World War, when other coal-poor countries turned to hydro-power, Portugal relied on coal-based thermal-power, creating a vicious circle of high-energy prices and labor-intensive industrialization.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
European Review of Economic History
volume
25
issue
1
pages
21 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85119376237
ISSN
1361-4916
DOI
10.1093/ereh/heaa003
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Historical Economics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions.
id
85b9161a-6069-4d7a-bd0d-d601504b7df8
date added to LUP
2021-12-03 10:50:24
date last changed
2022-04-27 06:16:49
@article{85b9161a-6069-4d7a-bd0d-d601504b7df8,
  abstract     = {{<p>We provide a natural resource explanation for the divergence of the Portuguese economy relative to other European countries before the Second World War. First, we demonstrate that a lack of domestic resources meant that Portugal experienced limited and unbalanced growth during the age of steam. Imports of coal were prohibitively expensive for inland areas. Coastal areas industrialized through steam but were constrained by limited demand from the interior. Second, we show that after the First World War, when other coal-poor countries turned to hydro-power, Portugal relied on coal-based thermal-power, creating a vicious circle of high-energy prices and labor-intensive industrialization. </p>}},
  author       = {{Henriques, Sofia Teives and Sharp, Paul}},
  issn         = {{1361-4916}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{85--105}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{European Review of Economic History}},
  title        = {{Without coal in the age of steam and dams in the age of electricity : An explanation for the failure of Portugal to industrialize before the Second World War}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ereh/heaa003}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/ereh/heaa003}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}