Black bread, white bread, and carbon lock-in: shifting economic views of the Belgian coal industry (1840s–1930s)
Abstract
Belgium experienced early industrialisation based on coal. Economists soon realised that these resources were essential for development, with coal being referred to as the “black bread” of the industry. Gradually, attention turned to the mining sector as a source of social stability, political empowerment, and national cohesion. Coal became a source of “white bread.” This article examines these evolving views from the 1840s to the 1930s, arguing that Belgian society experienced multidimensional carbon lock-in. It also analyses early Belgian theoretical contributions to the economics of exhaustible resources.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Historical Economic and Social Studies
Historical and socio-economic studies of Spain and related regions
Political and Economic history of UK and US
Publication details
- Journal / source
- European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Pages
- 1–27
- Publication date
- 2 February 2026
- Language
- EN