Question

1. Until the mid-eighteenth century when spinning became mechanized, cotton was an expensive and relatively unimportant textile (Virginia Postrel, "What Separates Rich Nations from Poor Nations?" New York Times, January 1, 2004). Where it used to take an Indian hand- spinner 50,000 hours to hand-spin 100 pounds of cotton, an operator of a 1760s-era hand-operated cotton mule- spinning machine could produce 100 pounds of stronger thread in 300 hours. When the self-acting mule spinner automated the process after 1825, the time dropped to 135 hours, and cotton became an inexpensive, common cloth. Was this technological progress neutral? In a figure, show how these technological changes affected isoquants. • Provide two examples in a recent human experience that parallel's what you have read about cotton clothing • Explain how the two examples of recent experience are similar to the what you have read. • To receive full credit for your participation, you must reply to the original question and commerit on the postings of at least two other students

Answer 1

The technological progress is not neutral. Because of the technology progress, less labor was required to spin the same amount of cotton in order to produce the same amount of product.

Labor Isoquant before technology progress Isoquant after technology progress Cotton