Origins of the knowledge economy : Higher education and Scandinavia’s development, ca. 1800–1929
Kunskapsekonomins ursprung : Högre utbildning och Skandinaviens utveckling, ca 1800–1929
Author
Summary, in English
High school and university-level education was long an elite pursuit. However, with economic growth and rising technical complexity, the need for specialised knowledge and skills increased. In the run-up to and during industrialisation, higher education systems admitted a growing number of students and diversified across an increasing range of courses and types of educational institutions.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden provide rich case studies for examining the growth of higher education during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I examine higher education through two lenses: To what extent did changes in the provision of higher education increase access to education beyond a small elite in society? How did changes in the provision of and access to higher education influence Scandinavia's development in the lead-up to and during industrialisation?
This dissertation comprises four papers that explore key developments in Scandinavian higher education including:
- the admission of female students
- the opening of Norway's first university
- the introduction and expansion of polytechnic education
- the growth in demand for highly trained engineers.
Using detailed individual-level data on the graduates of higher education, my results offer new insights into social mobility and economic development during a critical period of history.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden provide rich case studies for examining the growth of higher education during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I examine higher education through two lenses: To what extent did changes in the provision of higher education increase access to education beyond a small elite in society? How did changes in the provision of and access to higher education influence Scandinavia's development in the lead-up to and during industrialisation?
This dissertation comprises four papers that explore key developments in Scandinavian higher education including:
- the admission of female students
- the opening of Norway's first university
- the introduction and expansion of polytechnic education
- the growth in demand for highly trained engineers.
Using detailed individual-level data on the graduates of higher education, my results offer new insights into social mobility and economic development during a critical period of history.
Department/s
Publishing year
2025
Language
English
Publication/Series
Lund Studies in Economic History
Issue
115
Full text
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Department of Economic History, Lund University
Topic
- Economic History
Keywords
- economic history
- human capital
- higher education
- industrialisation
- social mobility
- innovation
- ekonomisk historia
- humankapital
- högre utbildning
- industrialisering
- social rörlighet
- innovation
Status
Published
Project
- The life course of graduates: Assessing the economic effects of education in Scandinavia, 1880–1920
- Origins of the knowledge economy: Higher education and Scandinavia’s economic development
Supervisor
- Kristin Ranestad
- Paul Sharp
- Jonas Ljungberg
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1400-4860
- ISBN: 978-91-989641-4-1
- ISBN: 978-91-989641-5-8
Defence date
23 January 2025
Defence time
14:15
Defence place
EC3:211
Opponent
- Jørgen Modalsli (Professor)