Digitalization is sometimes described as the third industrial revolution. What insights can be gained from comparing the present situation to the state of society at the outset of the first industrial revolution some two-and-half centuries ago?
From the late 18th century onwards, it led to an upheaval in work and livelihoods at a time when there were few social safety nets. The rapid transformation of economies and societies triggered a drive to create new social and political institutions to manage and reduce the social costs of change.
