Dr Melanie Meng Xue, London School of Economics

"British Industrialization and Cultural Change: Evidence from the Use of Proverbs "
Wednesday, 14 February. 3 p.m.
Room 250 Gilbert Scott Building

Abstract

Our study investigates the impact of the Industrial Revolution on British cultural values through the lens of 25,000 proverbs that were prevalent in early modern England. By employing artificial intelligence, we organize these proverbs into thematic groups to identify shifts in cultural values. Our initial results reveal a significant relationship: as industrialization progresses, there's a marked increase in the prevalence of proverbs highlighting virtues such as patience, teamwork, seizing opportunities, and prioritizing action over words. Conversely, there's a noticeable decline in the emphasis on proverbs that value learning from historical wisdom. This pattern underscores the profound influence of economic transformations on cultural values during this transformative era.

Bio

Melanie Meng Xue is an Assistant Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a research affiliate at CEPR, CEPH and the Hayek Programme in Economics and Liberal Political Economy. Her research interests include political economy, gender, culture and narrative, early modern and modern China.

Her work examines the rise of women, the self-perpetuation of authoritarian regimes, and the role of affirmative action in human capital accumulation. By tracing the impact of historical events over time and in various institutional settings, her work centers on the role of values, beliefs, and norms in shaping economic and political disparities.

In her research of traditional narratives, she discovered folklore is an important source of values in contemporary society. This line of inquiry has produced a global dataset of values and beliefs across countries and ethnicities, with ongoing work in the broad area.

For further information, please contact business-school-research@glasgow.ac.uk

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First published: 8 February 2024

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