The Role of Social Scientific Inquiry in Technology Transfer

Technology, the application of science to achieve practical results in the area of production (as economists use the term), can be understood only in a limited way from a strict disciplinary framework such as those prevailing in the social sciences. Perhaps the most restrictive is the limitation from the viewpoint of economics. The author (an economist) illustrates this contention with some interdisciplinary dimensions of technology encountered in developing countries, such as those pertaining to indigenous technological generation and technology transfer. A development framework incorporating such interdisciplinary dimensions, it is argued, is a prerequisite for formulating meaningful technology policies which help to promote an improved quality of life in developing countries.