While technological progress played a central role in the British Industrial Revolution, statistical evidence on how inventors and entrepreneurs engaged in the process of technological innovation has typically received minor attention. In this paper I use quantitative methods to show that counties with a relatively high number of informal networks −in the form of Freemasonry, friendly societies, libraries, and booksellers− experienced more innovation as measured by new patents and exhibits at the 1851 Crystal Palace World’s Fair. Qualitative evidence and propensity score matching suggest that the mechanisms highlighted here were an important part of British technological leadership. Economic factors cannot account for these patterns.

虽然技术进步在英国工业革命中发挥了核心作用，但关于发明家和企业家如何参与技术创新过程的统计证据通常很少受到关注。在本文中，我使用定量方法表明，非正式网络数量相对较多的县（以共济会、友好协会、图书馆和书商的形式）经历了更多的创新，以 1851 年水晶宫世界的新专利和展览来衡量公平的。定性证据和倾向得分匹配表明，此处强调的机制是英国技术领先地位的重要组成部分。经济因素不能解释这些模式。