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International Trade and Energy Intensity during European Industrialization, 1870-1935

Kander, Astrid LU ; Warde, Paul ; Henriques, Sofia LU ; Nielsen, Hana LU ; Kulionis, Viktoras LU and Hagen, Sven (2017) In Ecological Economics 139. p.33-44
Abstract
Previous research suggests that there is an inverted U-shape curve for energy intensity in the long-run for Western Europewith a peak in the early 20th century. This paper tests the hypothesis that the increase of German and British energy intensity was an effect from the concentration of heavy industrial production to these countries, although the consumption of a significant share of these goods took place elsewhere. We use an entirely new database that we have constructed (TEG: Trade, Energy, Growth) to test whether these countries exported more energy-demanding goods than they imported, thus providing other countries with means to industrialize and to consume cheap-energy demanding goods. We find that the U-shape curve is greatly... (More)
Previous research suggests that there is an inverted U-shape curve for energy intensity in the long-run for Western Europewith a peak in the early 20th century. This paper tests the hypothesis that the increase of German and British energy intensity was an effect from the concentration of heavy industrial production to these countries, although the consumption of a significant share of these goods took place elsewhere. We use an entirely new database that we have constructed (TEG: Trade, Energy, Growth) to test whether these countries exported more energy-demanding goods than they imported, thus providing other countries with means to industrialize and to consume cheap-energy demanding goods. We find that the U-shape curve is greatly diminished but does not disappear. The pronounced inverted U-curve in German energy intensity without trade adjustments is reduced when we account for energy embodied in the traded commodities. For Britain the shape of the curve is also flattened during the second half of the 19th century, before falling from WWI onwards. These consumption-based accounts are strongly influenced by the trade in metal goods and fuels, facilitating industrialization elsewhere. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
EKC, energy history, Europe, industrialization, core, periphery, international trade, energy embodied in trade, unbalanced exchange
in
Ecological Economics
volume
139
pages
12 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85017641719
  • wos:000403133900004
ISSN
0921-8009
DOI
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.03.042
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
784f7019-05f1-43f8-b8e8-860659471e62
date added to LUP
2017-04-21 00:36:59
date last changed
2022-04-17 01:11:39
@article{784f7019-05f1-43f8-b8e8-860659471e62,
  abstract     = {{Previous research suggests that there is an inverted U-shape curve for energy intensity in the long-run for Western Europewith a peak in the early 20th century. This paper tests the hypothesis that the increase of German and British energy intensity was an effect from the concentration of heavy industrial production to these countries, although the consumption of a significant share of these goods took place elsewhere. We use an entirely new database that we have constructed (TEG: Trade, Energy, Growth) to test whether these countries exported more energy-demanding goods than they imported, thus providing other countries with means to industrialize and to consume cheap-energy demanding goods. We find that the U-shape curve is greatly diminished but does not disappear. The pronounced inverted U-curve in German energy intensity without trade adjustments is reduced when we account for energy embodied in the traded commodities. For Britain the shape of the curve is also flattened during the second half of the 19th century, before falling from WWI onwards. These consumption-based accounts are strongly influenced by the trade in metal goods and fuels, facilitating industrialization elsewhere.}},
  author       = {{Kander, Astrid and Warde, Paul and Henriques, Sofia and Nielsen, Hana and Kulionis, Viktoras and Hagen, Sven}},
  issn         = {{0921-8009}},
  keywords     = {{EKC; energy history; Europe; industrialization; core; periphery; international trade; energy embodied in trade; unbalanced exchange}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{33--44}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Ecological Economics}},
  title        = {{International Trade and Energy Intensity during European Industrialization, 1870-1935}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.03.042}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.03.042}},
  volume       = {{139}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}