CfP: for Technological Unemployment: Causes, Impacts, and Responses

Session Call for Papers, XIX World Economic History Congress. Paris, 25–29 July 2022

Session Organizer: Benjamin Schneider 

Technological unemployment is likely to be a major challenge of the 21st century, with automation putting up to half of jobs in some countries at risk (Brynjolfsson & McAfee 2014, Chang & Huynh 2016, Frey & Osborne 2017). Papers in this panel will explore historical instances of technological unemployment, with a focus on three areas of research: 1) analyzing the conditions that produced job-replacing technology; 2) measuring the impact of job destruction on wellbeing; 3) assessing the effectiveness of policy responses.  

The first research area will use historical examples of job-destroying inventions to examine when innovative activity has realized the potential for mechanization or automation. Papers may consider causes such as factor conditions, institutions, and scientific developments that led to job-replacing technology.  

The second research area addresses how technological unemployment impacted workers and labor markets. Papers may examine the effects of unemployment on local or sectoral labor markets, the career trajectories of individual workers, and the wellbeing consequences for workers, families, and communities. The panel welcomes multidimensional approaches to measure quality of life and wellbeing.

The third research area moves from impacts to potential solutions. Papers will consider how technological unemployment interacted with existing safety nets and labor market policies, and the effectiveness of measures intended to mitigate the effects of job destruction. 

Papers from any location or historical period that analyze technological unemployment and discuss one or more of the three research areas are welcome. Please send a 300-word abstract and a short CV to Benjamin Schneider by 4 March 2022. All submissions will be acknowledged and receive a response by mid-March.