Underdevelopment, Science and Technology: the Point of View of the Underdeveloped Countries

This paper examines the interrelations between underdevelopment, science and technology. As the subtitle suggests, it attempts to present the point of view of the underdeveloped countries with the aim of outlining the basis for a programme of action. The central thesis is that science and technology were closely related to the emergence of underdevelopment as it has so far arisen in the twentieth century, and that to a certain extent they are contributing to the maintenance and persistence of underdevelopment. In order to modify this situation, major structural changes are required both in the way scientific and technological activities are organized within the underdeveloped countries, and in the international structure of the world scientific and technological effort. These changes will not come automatically. They need to be pressed by the underdeveloped countries themselves. To avoid the disruption and the social costs that may be involved in reshaping their scientific and technological activities, as well as the structure of the world scientific effort, underdeveloped countries should employ the scientific method itself in planning these changes. The paper begins by examining the concepts of development and underdevelopment, it then explores their relation to science and technology, and ends with some proposals on the contribution that science and technology can make to the development of the Third World.