Practice question · Multiple choice
According to Allen, the spinning jenny was invented in Lancashire rather than Bengal because:
Hints
- Think about when it makes sense to replace labour with capital.
- High wages make machines profitable; low wages don't.
Show the answer
C. High Lancashire wages made the machine pay
Why
Allen's point is about incentives, not ability: the machine had to pay back its cost by saving wages. Where wages were low, the payback never arrived, the same invention simply wasn't worth building.
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