Strategic Approaches to Science and Technology in Development

Watson, Robert ; Crawford, Michael ; Farley, Sara

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY;    DEVELOPMENT;    POVERTY REDUCTION;    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT;    TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-3026
RP-ID  :  WPS3026

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Watson, Crawford, and Farley examine theways in which science and technology (S&T) supportpoverty alleviation and economic development and how thesethemes have been given emphasis or short shrift in variousareas of the World Bank's work. Central to their thesisis the now well-established argument that development willincreasingly depend on a country's ability tounderstand, interpret, select, adapt, use, transmit,diffuse, produce, and commercialize scientific andtechnological knowledge in ways appropriate to its culture,aspirations, and level of development. The authors go beyondthis tenet, analyzing the importance of S&T fordevelopment within specific sectors. They present policyoptions for enhancing the effectiveness of S&T systemsin developing countries, review previous experience of theWorld Bank and other donors in supporting S&T, andsuggest changes that the World Bank and its partners canadopt to increase the impact of the work currentlyundertaken in S&T. The authors' main messages are:1) S&T has always been important for development, butthe unprecedented pace of advancement of scientificknowledge is rapidly creating new opportunities for andthreats to development. 2) Most developing countries arelargely unprepared to deal with the changes that S&Tadvancement will bring. 3) The World Bank's numerousactions in various domains of S&T could be moreeffective in producing the needed capacity improvements inclient countries. 4) The World Bank could have a greaterimpact if it paid increased attention to S&T ineducation, health, rural development, private sectordevelopment, and the environment. The strategy emphasizesfour S&T policy areas: education and human resourcesdevelopment, the private sector, the public sector, andinformation communications technologies.