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Haven't read the article you linked.

Though I wouldn't think that industrialisation would require expensive labour since there could be other benefits driving it, e.g. faster production, less wasteful production, etc.

Industrialisation didn't end slavery or it's derivatives either. It just changed to tools of production.




Well, the article I posted directly tackles your hypothesis and argues, rather persuasively, that high labour costs lead those in power to consider industrialization. Therefore, high cost of labour is an input to industrialization efforts, not an output. The machine only becomes worth pursuing when the total lifecycle cost is lower than the cost of sourcing and consuming human labour.




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