On National (Under)Development

Examining the problem of underdevelopment in a scientific and technological perspective

STS WFY - Group 2, 23 February 2011

I. The Problem of Underdevelopment

The comparative underdevelopment of Third World countries, such as the Philippines, results
to interrelated problems ranging from small-scale local poverty issues to large-scale national
economic regression.

According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, in 2009, Philippines has a poverty
incidence of 26.5 percent. This means that in every four Filipinos, one is considered to be poor.

A. What makes a country underdeveloped?

There are three characteristics of underdeveloped countries: domination, disarticulation and
incapacity to provide an adequate standard of living for the majority.
 Domination on underdeveloped countries by developed ones show an extreme form of
dependence of the first to the latter. Its primary form is economic; although it’s closely related
to cultural and technical domination. Due to this, DCs primarily benefit from the resources
(both goods and services) of UCs, leaving the UCs’ resources depleted for themselves.

Disarticulation (or disunity) among the different socio-cultural strata in UCs affect the
improvements in socioeconomic conditions of the country. Generally, only some segments of
the population (such as professionals and landowners) improve, leaving the rest (farmers,
etc) comparatively unchanged.

Lastly, the incapacity of UCs to provide an adequate standard of living for the majority
characterizes their underdevelopment in such way that their people experience deficiencies
in most, if not all, aspects of living.

B. What factors limit the development of countries?

Economic growth is a widely-accepted contributing factor to the progress of a country.

The scientific and technological progress, which refers to the autonomous capacity of a
country to generate, disseminate, and utilize technological knowledge in its productive and
social processes, assists the national industry in designing productive techniques adequate
for local conditions.

Lastly, the proper distribution of the fruits of economic growth and of technical progress
throughout the population both eliminates disarticulation and raises the living conditions of
all to an acceptable level.

II. The Potential Solution against Underdevelopment

The advancement of science and technology is increasingly becoming an important factor in the
development of a country. Not only does modern science-based technologies greatly affect the
competition among manufacturers worldwide, science and engineering also help in the
construction of a more secured community against disasters and terrorism.

In order for S&T to take effect on the development of Third World countries, there must be a
major transformation in the S&T structure both locally and internationally. But this requires a
firm commitment by both developed and underdeveloped countries.

There are indeed several ways to promote national development through S&T, and some of
these must be contextualized for every country. Listed below are but a few of these potential
scientific and technology solutions that UCs can use for their growth and development.
A. Establish S&T awareness
In order to successfully infuse S&T in national development, every sector in the country
(especially the government) must be aware of the role that S&T play in the development
process. S&T must not only be promoted at schools but in the whole community.

Here technological domination is emphasized as a factor for underdevelopment.

The concept of intermediate technology is also introduced. Intermediate technology is the

set of technologies between the capital-intensive technologies that DCs export to UCs, and
the indigenous technologies that UCs already possess. It is aimed directly at the social needs
of the country such as poverty and general low standards of living. This kind of introduction
gives an insight on the technological resources that the country already possess, and the
technologies it needs to acquire.

B. Develop S&T policies

There should be a difference in science policy and technology policy.

Science policy covers scientific research. In this policy, the scope of scientific research is
defined. It is advised that the kinds of research projects that can be conducted should not be
bounded by specific national needs. Thus the criteria for the evaluation of these projects
should be internal to the scientific community.

Technology policy, on the other hand, covers the acquisition of technology to be used in
productive and social processes. Contrary to science policy, it is more concerned with
national development. Activities that fall into this policy include technology transfer,
adaptation of existing techniques, and reverse engineering.

During the planning stage, all of the S&T resources of the country are to be identified. These
resources include human, infrastructural, informational, financial and international S&T
resources. This is to secure the kinds of resources that are available (like in intermediate
technology), to reduce the cost of pooling resources from others, and to avoid the
duplication of work.

Part of the development of these policies is the increase of demand for local technology.
Increasing local demand also increases local technological capacity. This can be done by
channeling the demand from external to local sources.

Of course, good policies and policy instruments should be combined with good political
power to achieve the desired objectives.
C. Reinforce S&T manpower
In line with the national S&T policies, the human resources for scientific and technological
services must be established.

Scientific and Technological manpower is the basis of all S&T activities. It has been known
that shortage of high-quality manpower constitutes the principal bottleneck in the scientific
and technological development of UCs.

Included in these human resources are: scientists, engineers, R&D professionals and
technicians.

UCs must also be aware of the brain drain phenomenon, where either S&T professionals
migrate to other countries for better opportunities (external) or they are misemployed in
their own country (internal). One great example of internal brain drain in the Philippines
can be seen in call centers, where science and engineering graduates choose this kind of
work (rather than in their own respective fields) for immediate source of income.

D. Manage technology transfer

Technology transfer happens everywhere, national and international, from one industry to
another.

There are several ways on how an underdeveloped country can acquire technology from
foreign countries. It can be through turnkey agreement where foreign investors set-up their
business locally and leaves the operation to the government. It can also be through quick
purchase of technologies. There are also several criticisms that go alongside with these
methods.

The objective technology transfer is to facilitate industrialization. In order to manage

technology transfer effectively, the country must consider the following:
(1) the selection of technologies to be imported are to be based both on the national needs
and usable resources in the country; this differentiates appropriate technologies with
the nice-to-haves.
(2) imported technologies should fit the local surroundings; it will be a waste of money,
time and effort if the technology transferred is not usable locally.
(3) repair and improvements should be done by local trained manpower; this both
strengthens the technological capacity of the country and reduces its dependency on
others.
(4) foreigners are hired only to provide effective training; this prevents brain drain, both
externally and internally.
 UCs must have better understanding on their partnership with other countries, especially
with DCs. This will prevent abuse and exploitation. There should also be a mutual
agreement on both parties to prevent any form of disparity.

III. Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of science and technology in underdeveloped countries helps
these countries progress not only economically but in other aspects as well.
The current trend in trade (most especially in international exchange of goods and services)
requires a balance between quality and cost. And here, science and technology can play a great
role in the designing and manufacturing of high-class yet affordable products, making the
producing countries globally competitive. Therefore, science and technology must be established,
developed and continually promoted in underdeveloped countries to ensure their growth and
development.

For specific examples on these concepts, see On National (Under)Development - Cases Specified.pptx.