Ideologies and Technical Choice

9311124沙茨伯格博士通过调查进步意识形态对技术选择的影响程度，阐明了技术变革的本质。意识形态可以通过塑造对未来变化的预期来影响技术选择。只有通过技术变革的详细案例研究，才有可能评估进步意识形态的影响。沙茨伯格博士正在扩展他之前关于意识形态在飞机材料选择中的作用的工作，并将其应用于两个新的案例研究：一个是电力牵引，另一个是电力照明。在第一项研究中，他正在研究有轨电车在蒸汽和电力之间的选择，而这两种选择都是在城市内部和城市之间提供公共交通的合理选择。在第二项研究中，当托马斯·爱迪生第一次试图说服城市用电力照明取代燃气照明时，他正在研究电力照明和燃气照明之间的选择。这些案例研究检验了沙茨伯格博士关于意识形态影响的假说，方法是基于结构性因素，最重要的是供应商公司的创新能力，检验不同的解释。这些案例研究主要是美国的，但他的分析辅之以与欧洲技术的比较。***

9311124 Schatzberg Dr. Schatzberg is illuminating the nature of technical change by investigating the extent to which ideologies of progress influenced technical choice. Ideologies can affect technical choice by shaping expectations of future changes. Assessing the influence of ideologies of progress is only possible through detailed case studies of technical change. Dr. Schatzberg is extending his prior work on the role of ideology in the choice of airplane materials and is applying it to two new case studies: one in electric traction and the other in electric lighting. In the first study, he is examining the choice between steam and electricity for streetcars when they were both reasonable options for providing public transportation in and between cities. In the second study, he is examining the choice between electric and gas lighting when Thomas Edison first tried to convince cities to substitute electric for gas lighting. The case studies test Dr. Schatzberg's hypothesis on the influence of ideology by examining alternative explanations, based on structural factors, most importantly the ability of the supplier firms to innovate. The case studies are primarily American, but his analysis is supplemented by comparisons with European technology. ***