Coles, Anne-Marie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0383-9253, Clarke, Ian and Piterou, Athena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4138-113X (2023) A “poor man’s carriage”: system building and social interactivity in UK urban tramway development, 1860–1890. Industrial and Corporate Change:dtac063. pp. 1-17. ISSN 0960-6491 (Print), 1464-3650 (Online) (doi:10.1093/icc/dtac063)

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Abstract

Large technical systems (LTS) are socially structuring, reconfiguring governance practices and social norms. In this article, socio-technical dynamics that influenced the emergence of UK urban tramways, as examples of local LTS, are investigated, considering the role of dominant discourses in normalizing new systems. It examines how the 1870 Tramways Act attempted to adjudicate between competing interests, which shaped the context for new tramway routes. The concept of system builders is used to explain how new projects recruit public support. This case identifies constraints faced by system builders and indicates that their interaction with prevailing socio-political contexts impacts the system development and stability.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	large technical systems; history of technology; infrastructure changes; tramway history
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions T Technology > TF Railroad engineering and operation
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > Political Economy, Governance, Finance and Accountability (PEGFA) Journal of Economic Literature Classification > Political Economy, Governance, Finance and Accountability (PEGFA) Greenwich Business School > School of Business, Operations and Strategy
Last Modified:	13 Feb 2025 10:57
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/38143

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