The Revolution of Ideas: Widespread Patenting and Invention During the English Industrial Revolution
研究发现，1760年后英国经济中公认的技术领先行业专利活动加速，但同期其他行业也有大量发明，表明不存在单一“领先技术部门”，专利广泛增加与宏观经济增长原因一致。
Sectors of the English economy recognized as technological leaders have records of accelerated patent activity soon after 1760. But the patent record also reveals considerable inventive activity during the same period in industries not normally associated with advancing technology. It is therefore unlikely that there was a “leading technological sector.” The widespread increase in patenting is consistent with macroeconomic causes of accelerated invention.