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In the years before and after the Second World War, chemical and related industries in a variety of countries experienced a surge in innovation and development. As a result, the pulp industry became a space for considerable innovation. In Sweden, Johan Richter developed the Kamyr digester, a pulp cooker that could run continuously and was adopted by industry within a decade. Prior to Richter, Soviet engineer Leonid Zherebov designed a similar cooker. But after 25 years of experiments, Zherebov’s design failed, and Soviet factories began to produce pulp using imported Kamyr digesters. This article examines the history of continuous pulp cooking in the Soviet Union as a means to understand the nature of Russian technological innovation and its failures. The paper contends that his effort failed because of the technological system developed by Soviet forestry – a system characterized by a lack of open communication among its main institutional actors and a scarcity of resources to facilitate innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines Weber's Protestant Work Ethic and its power in explaining the business ethos and progress of a leading Scottish papermaking firm, Alex Cowan & Sons Ltd. of Penicuik, which existed independently from 1779 to 1965. Beginning with a summary of the Protestant Work Ethic, as outlined in Weber's thesis of 1904–06, a review of key debates around it is given, followed by details of some recent works which demonstrate its continuing relevance for historical scholars as well as the shortcomings of some recent studies which have sought to test it in detail. A brief outline of the business progress of Cowan's papermaking business then follows, after which key aspects of Weber's thesis are tested against the firm's experience. The study concludes that Weber's thesis adequately describes the motivation and progress of the firm and its owners, providing detailed empirical evidence which supports the Weber thesis and justifies further detailed studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British paper and board industry opposed plans to establish the Western European free trade area and the more modest EFTA, arguing that British producers would be unable to compete successfully against their Nordic rivals. The paper industry did support British entry to the EEC, but only because this was considered to be a less bad option than continued membership of EFTA. It is argued that while the British government could not fundamentally change its European policy solely because it harmed the interests of one particular industry, pressure from business and fears that increased competition would lead to increased unemployment gradually persuaded it to find ways to reduce competition. However, this policy probably encouraged many companies to delay efforts to modernise production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within the issue on topics including the history of the development of nuclear reactors in Germany and Sweden in the 1950s and 1960s, the history of the Soviet Union's pulp industry from 1940 to 1960s, and the electric power research program of the Electric Power Research Institute.