Institutional Approach to the Gota kanal

This book is based on an institutional evolutionary theoretical view to the Gota kanal. Canals were the major transport infrastructure system besides roads and maritime transport until railroads were introduced. The canal studied is the Swedish Gota kanal project during the preparation and construction phase from 1800-1832. Thus, the Gota kanal, and the canal-era, is seen from a technological, an economic and a political perspective. Comparisons are made with two contemporary major canal-projects; the Erie Canal in the USA (1817-1825) and the Caledonian Canal in Britain (1804-1822). It is argued that the Gota kanal project, as Sweden's Mega Project of its time, represented an important development step in Sweden as regards learning and innovation and became a starting point for Swedish transport infrastructure projects in the time to come, primarily the railways.