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ASSESSING THE NATIONAL STEEL-MAKING PROBLEM: THE DEMAND FOR STEEL PRODUCTS IN BRAZIL (1901-1940)

Abstract

This paper examines the demand for steel products in Brazil between 1901 and 1940, considering its dimension, its composition and its evolution, as well as the contemporaries’ perception on the issue. In order to do this, a wide array of primary sources is used, including original disaggregated foreign exchange data. Based on these sources, it is observed that the dimension of the potential domestic market exhibited certain stability along the more than three decades during which the steel-making debate took place, and that this reflected on the contemporary estimates of the size of the market. This relative stability of the market size was accompanied by a diversification process of the demand for steel products.

Keywords:
Steel-making; Brazilian steel industry development; demand

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