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Learning by Dying: Combat Performance in the Age of Sail

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2007

Daniel K. Benjamin  and
Anca Tifrea
Daniel K. Benjamin
Affiliation:
Alumni Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1309; and Senior Fellow, PERC, 2048 Analysis Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715. E-mail: wahoo@clemson.edu.
Anca Tifrea
Affiliation:
Senior Associate, KPMG LLP, 303 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308. E-mail: atifrea@kpmg.com.
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Abstract

Between 1660 and 1815 the combat fatality rate among British navy captains fell by 98 percent, even as the combat success of the British Navy rose dramatically. Both developments can be explained as a result of learning by doing among British commanders. This learning was importantly driven by the extensive wartime experience accumulated over this period, combined with the unparalleled financial incentives for combat success offered to British commanders.

Type
ARTICLES
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 67 , Issue 4 , December 2007 , pp. 968 - 1000
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 2007

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