With the advent of the Fresnel lens, thousands of lighthouses went up in the 1800s to warn sailors of danger and guide them into safe harbors. With the development of automation, most have largely become obsolete. But some still shine brightly for mariners. Some are maintained by organizations dedicated to their preservation, others remain in private ownership and others are in the hands of aficionados who have acquired them or by groups of people who band together to keep them going — even though they face neglect and erosion from the elements and competition from newer navigation technology.
Modern studies of privatization, liberalization and public-private partnerships often focus on government intervention without weighing the possibility that it may fail (Clark and Pitelis 2005). But lighthouses offer an interesting case study because of their unique and complex relationship to both the market economy and the state.
In the days before automation most offshore lighthouses operated on a rotational basis with each keeper being on duty for six weeks and then having two weeks off. This arrangement left the keeper at the mercy of the weather and reliefs were often delayed or postponed, sometimes for several weeks.
The duties of a lighthouse keeper were complex and the work was often dangerous. A keeper’s ability to carry out his job depended on his skill and physical condition. The Lighthouse Board published a set of rules defining basic characteristics that lighthouse keepers should have, such as good health, physical endurance and the ability to perform manual tasks.
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