Choice And Adaptation Of Technology In Developing Countries

The literature on technological change and growth has mainly used econometric models to establish that factors such as the degree of openness, skills, research and development expenditures, number of patents etc. are critical determinants of innovation and its effect on growth. However, this approach fails to explain the role of institutions and policies that created the environment for innovation. Using 10 case studies from developing countries, this book examines how governments fostered technological adaptation through public-private partnerships to develop world-class exporters in high-growth, non-traditional industries.

This book is the outcome of a Development Studies Association Workshop on Technology that we convened in Queen Elizabeth House in March 1980. In the 1960s and 1970s most research on technology in poor countries was directed at the question of the labour or capital intensity of production technique (sometimes described as the 'neo-classical' question). But recently, largely as a result of the findings of such research, the focus has changed quite radically. The collection of essays raises questions as much as it provides answers: but in so doing it provides a comprehensive introduction to the major new topics which are of substantial concern to those working on issues of technology and development.

Monograph on the impact of advanced technology transfer on developing countries - argues that, since technological change is determined by prevailing social and economic conditions, advanced country technology has led to unemployment and unsatisfactory income distribution in poor countries, and presents case studies illustrating the complex problem of choice of technology and the difficulties of getting an appropriate technology developed and used, etc. Bibliography pp. 280 to 295, diagrams, graphs, references and statistical tables.

Technology for Underdeveloped Areas: An Annotated Bibliography focuses on the functional aspects of technology, including the economic criteria of choice, the institutional requisite for transmittal, and the cultural constraints upon proficiency. This book discusses the relevant concepts, provides specific examples of products and systems required by developing economies, and indicates organizational approaches to adapting advantageous technology. Organized into five parts, this book starts with an overview of the most comprehensive statements on the criteria of choice for developing economies. This text then examines the concept of scarcity, which is essential to questions of technological optima in the areas of investment returns, trade specializations, and growth rates. Other chapters consider the general problems encountered by developing economies in the world. This book discusses as well the changes in corporate and economic policies to enhance technological efficiency. The final chapter analyzes the difficulties encountered by international corporations trying to transplant industrial techniques. Social scientists, economists, and engineers will find this book useful.