This paper offers a comparative history of safety practices around industrial risk in France and Great Britain in the 19th century. While the French government chose safety standards as its central tool for limiting the risk of explosion of steam boilers and gasometers (tanks for storing gas), the British government decided to rely on self-regulation by industrialists. The paper explores the political context in which safety standards emerged in France and the reasons for their rejection in Great Britain. While safety standards establish a minimum level of safety, the French Mining Administration that was responsible for devising and supervising the standards had significantly fewer resources than the specialized insurance companies that emerged in mid-19th century Britain that effectively controlled risk. With a century of hindsight, the paper compares the effects of these two different ways of regulating industrial risk. Ultimately, the promotion of safety depended as much on regulations and institutions as on social demand for a safer industrial environment.
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The Political Economy of Safety Standards: The Different Approaches of France and Britain in the 19th Century
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5/20/2025 07:43:00 AM
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5/20/2025 07:43:00 AM
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Jean-Baptiste Fressoz
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Working Paper (WP)
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English
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World
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World Development Report 2025
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This paper offers a comparative history of safety practices around industrial risk in France and Great Britain in the 19th century. While the French government chose safety standards as its central tool for limiting the risk of explosion of steam boilers and gasometers (tanks for storing gas), the British government decided to rely on self-regulation by industrialists. The paper explores the political context in which safety standards emerged in France and the reasons for their rejection in Great Britain. While safety standards establish a minimum level of safety, the French Mining Administration that was responsible for devising and supervising the standards had significantly fewer resources than the specialized insurance companies that emerged in mid-19th century Britain that effectively controlled risk. With a century of hindsight, the paper compares the effects of these two different ways of regulating industrial risk. Ultimately, the promotion of safety depended as much on regulations and institutions as on social demand for a safer industrial environment.
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