Accounts of technological change during industrialization processes based on labor-saving innovations are commonplace, even more so in the coal mining industry, in which the focus has until now been placed on the steam engine water pump and the coal cutting machine. However, to better understand technological change, we need to bear in mind the study of complementary capital. While previous research on complementary capital relies on evidence for manufacturing or the aggregate economy, this paper focuses on a case study, which provides more details on technology adoption decisions. This paper considers mechanical ventilation, a prominent and largely overlooked technology complementary to labor, as a response to stale air and explosions in the exploitation of coal. We examine the determinants in the adoption of the newer technology—the mechanical ventilator—through an economic model that is established at a high level of disaggregation: the mine. We concentrate on the West Virginia coalfield at the turn of the twentieth century, an apt historical setting for the study of technology adoption. We quantify characteristics of mines over time, so we are able to estimate a panel. We show the importance of various costs and benefits in explaining which type of mine converted from older technologies to the newer technology. The model is complemented with qualitative information, which helps to explain why an older technology slowed the process of adopting the newer as a result of different costs associated with the substitution.

工业化过程中基于节省劳动力的创新技术变革的说法司空见惯，在煤炭开采行业更是如此，迄今为止，重点一直放在蒸汽机水泵和切煤机上。然而，为了更好地理解技术变革，我们需要牢记对互补资本的研究。虽然先前关于补充资本的研究依赖于制造业或总体经济的证据，但本文侧重于一个案例研究，该案例研究提供了有关技术采用决策的更多细节。本文认为机械通风是一种与劳动力互补的突出但在很大程度上被忽视的技术，作为对煤炭开采过程中的陈旧空气和爆炸的反应。我们通过一个建立在高度分解的经济模型：矿山来研究采用新技术（机械呼吸机）的决定因素。我们专注于 20 世纪之交的西弗吉尼亚煤田，这是研究技术采用的恰当历史背景。我们随着时间的推移量化地雷的特征，因此我们能够估计面板。我们展示了各种成本和收益在解释哪种类型的矿山从旧技术转换为新技术时的重要性。该模型补充了定性信息，这有助于解释为什么旧技术由于与替代相关的不同成本而减慢了采用新技术的过程。矿山。我们专注于 20 世纪之交的西弗吉尼亚煤田，这是研究技术采用的恰当历史背景。我们随着时间的推移量化地雷的特征，因此我们能够估计面板。我们展示了各种成本和收益在解释哪种类型的矿山从旧技术转换为新技术时的重要性。该模型补充了定性信息，这有助于解释为什么旧技术由于与替代相关的不同成本而减慢了采用新技术的过程。矿山。我们专注于 20 世纪之交的西弗吉尼亚煤田，这是研究技术采用的恰当历史背景。我们随着时间的推移量化地雷的特征，因此我们能够估计面板。我们展示了各种成本和收益在解释哪种类型的矿山从旧技术转换为新技术时的重要性。该模型补充了定性信息，这有助于解释为什么旧技术由于与替代相关的不同成本而减慢了采用新技术的过程。我们展示了各种成本和收益在解释哪种类型的矿山从旧技术转换为新技术时的重要性。该模型补充了定性信息，这有助于解释为什么旧技术由于与替代相关的不同成本而减慢了采用新技术的过程。我们展示了各种成本和收益在解释哪种类型的矿山从旧技术转换为新技术时的重要性。该模型补充了定性信息，这有助于解释为什么旧技术由于与替代相关的不同成本而减慢了采用新技术的过程。