Technology, policy design, development

Abstract

That the problem of underdevelopment has multiple facets and requires, for its understanding, the superposition of different levels of analysis does not seem new. However, what is essential today is to strongly attack the myth created about the miraculous effects of technological change as a central element of any development strategy. In this sense, this article begins by identifying a substantive difference: there is not one Third World, but several. Consequently, it is essential to contextualize each national universe in order to understand the determinants specific to each social reality.

Indeed, scientific and technological development needs to prepare the ground, in institutional, social, economic, and political terms, since strategies that do not take this into account are destined to fail. Although science is universal, very few developing countries currently have the conditions for conducting "excellent" science. For the rest, science can rather help understand some principles and processes of local or regional importance. Perhaps one of the elements that emerge from this discussion refers to the training strategies for scientists, middle managers, managers, etc., that developing countries must implement.