ABSTRACT This paper provides an analysis of the role of technical advances and upscaling practices in the steel sector and the differences in these practices between planned and market-based economies. It focuses on the Czechoslovak steel sector, comparing it to other planned economies as well as Western economies. The primary method of analysis employed is the logistic-fit curve of technology diffusion, complemented with panel regression models. The paper draws two major conclusions: first, Czechoslovakia suffered from technological backwardness in the adoption of new steel technology with prolonged formation stage and high saturation levels as seen in some of the core steel markets. To some degree, this was due to the detrimental nature of central planning on new technology adoption. However, it was mainly linked to some specific characteristics of Eastern European markets, such as availability of scrap, the vintage of individual plants and the different structure of steelmaking costs. Second, the focus on Soviet-style large scale production was visible not only at the industry level but also at the level of the individual furnaces. It was this large-scale production that can be linked to improvements in relative energy efficiency – through economies of scale and learning-by-doing effects.

中文翻译：

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技术和规模变​​化：计划经济中的钢铁行业比较

摘要本文分析了钢铁行业技术进步和升级实践的作用，以及计划经济和市场经济之间的差异。它侧重于捷克斯洛伐克的钢铁部门，并将其与其他计划经济体和西方经济体进行比较。采用的主要分析方法是技术扩散的逻辑拟合曲线，并辅以面板回归模型。该论文得出两个主要结论：首先，捷克斯洛伐克在采用新钢技术的过程中遭受技术落后，这种技术在某些核心钢市场中的形成期延长且饱和度很高。在某种程度上，这是由于采用新技术的中央计划的有害性质。然而，它主要与东欧市场的某些特定特征有关，例如废钢的可用性，单个工厂的年份以及炼钢成本的不同结构。其次，不仅在行业层面，而且在单个熔炉层面，都可以看到对苏联式大规模生产的关注。正是这种大规模生产可以通过规模经济和边干边学的效果与相对能源效率的提高联系起来。