The transfer of technology to developing countries: a survey of main issues and policies

Abstract

The economic and social development of the poor countries is now no longer conditional upon the generation of new scientific knowledge, as was the case until the middle of the last century. The world storehouse of technological expertise, accumulated in the developed countries since the industrial revolution, was responsible for raising their income per capital nearly ten times over the last 100 years. If only the available and essential technical knowledge can be transferred to most of mankind which continues to remain ill-fed, ill-clad, ill-housed, and illiterate, their socio-economic transformation can be accomplished quite rapidly. It is now recognized that the socio-economic development of countries is not merely a result of indigenous technological evolution, but also of significant transfers across geographical, political and cultural frontiers. It seems essential therefore to examine the conditions for technology for transfer between the developed and the Third World countries. Some of these aspects are discussed in this paper which first reviews the position of developing countries in the world market for technology. It then briefly surveys the major problems arising from such dependence and indicates the main lines of action.