International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development - Volume 8, Issue 3, 2009

Between 1970 and 2000, the proportion of global R&D occurring in low-income economies rose from 2 per cent to more than 20 per cent. However, this rising commitment to R&D does not easily translate into the emergence of a family of innovations meeting the needs of low-income consumers at the bottom of the pyramid, since much of these technological resources are invested in outdated structures of innovation. A number of transnational corporations are targeting these markets, but it is our contention that much of the previously dominant innovation value chains are either ignorant of the needs of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid or lack the technologies and organizational structures to meet these needs effectively. Instead, the firms and value chains which are likely to be most successful in these dynamic new markets are those which are emerging in China and India and other developing countries, disrupting global corporate and locational hierarchies of innovation.

The aim of this article is to improve our understanding of the nature, extent and importance of knowledge creation, development and commercialisation in developing countries. The article focuses on the process through which new knowledge is converted into beneficial socio-economic outcomes in developing countries. It recognises that a wide range of science and technology capabilities and activities are critical in this process and identifies the different forms of technological capabilities that underpin the process. It is argued that there is a deficiency of non-research and development-specific capabilities in developing countries and that this constitutes a major drawback to the innovation process. The article also discusses the critical role of demand in innovation processes and demonstrates how the demand of low-income earners in developing countries is driving changes in the global investments in innovation. Innovation in developing countries is increasingly focusing on the market rather than on the technology.

The emergence of a globalized knowledge economy, and the contemporary views of innovation capacity that this trend enables and informs, provides a new context in which development assistance to agricultural research and development needs to be considered. The main argument in this article, which focuses on the Netherlands, is that development assistance should use this emerging scenario to identify niches where inputs can add value to the R&D investments of others, particularly in activities that help wire up innovation systems, linking R&D to other activities and actors in society. The article outlines four agricultural innovation priorities and guiding principles for development assistance that could help strengthen national and global innovation capacity. These trends also raise many tensions and dilemmas for the development research community in northern countries. A key message of this article is that these tensions could be better handled if a long-term vision for development assistance to science, technology and innovation (ST&I) which recognized the contingencies of the global knowledge economy and the importance of participation in the resolution of international issues that affect all countries were in place. The article concludes by suggesting that national development assistance policies on ST&I cannot be thought of separately from a country's general ST&I policy as participation in the resolution of international issues is a key element of a country's comparative advantage. This requires investments in expertise in the North and not just financial assistance to the South.

This article considers the factors that determine the ability to innovate health technologies in order to make them available to those who need them most in developing countries and rid populations of disease. It uses the case of Tanzanian bed/mosquito nets particularly those treated with insecticide which are promoted as a key prevention mechanism in the fight against malaria. Reviewing the success story of Tanzania in the production, distribution and use of bed nets, the article asks questions regarding the future ability to sustain progress. Using the concept of social technologies, the article highlights the importance of understanding the social context of the bed net innovation process. It therefore highlights the need to consider the bed net story as one not merely of effective distribution but, more significantly, of the whole innovation value chain from inputs to the textile factories making the nets to consumer needs and demands. It enriches our understanding of the complex nature in which the physical technologies (bed nets) are accessed by the poor and how this relates to the overall health system.

Of the many challenges that Africa is facing, the HIV/AIDS pandemic ranks amongst the most threatening. This article draws attention to local community settings and focuses on village set-ups, probing into the nature of the approaches to combat the pandemic. Given the issues surrounding the spread of the virus, including, for example, stigmatisation/discrimination, sexuality, modes of transmission, cultural beliefs and practices, trauma, health-care services, aid organisations as well as governance issues, we raise questions that cut across the societal belief terrains on the one hand, and scientific/technological advancements on the other. The article explores questions relating to: the extent to which cultural practices are part of the unbreakable barriers in the effort to combat the pandemic; the extent to which cultural contexts of local communities are understood or misunderstood; how focus on participatory approaches and not diagnostic measures can help; and how best a sustainable integration of scientific and social aspects can be achieved in the search for solutions. To address these and other related questions, the argument will be informed by examples from Kenya and Zimbabwe, looking at how particular scientific and local communities have strived to integrate their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.

African countries are at different stages in the use and regulation of modern biotechnologies. A three-year case study of efforts towards cross-national cooperation in the development of policies and regulatory measures for biotechnology in southern Africa revealed that these differences were seen as one ingredient that could give positive impetus towards coordinated development and management of the technology through experience-sharing among the countries. Cooperation would help to build the necessary scale economies to position the region not only as a strong force to resist technology and product dumping and other malpractices, but also as an attractive region for favourable technologies and products. Even in the face of countries enjoying different bilateral and multilateral partnerships, many argued that those separate partnerships would benefit from the backdrop of a united and coherent region. This article traces some of the arguments, presenting a case for why African countries whether weak or strong with respect to biotechnology may still find cooperation a viable option for strengthening their various positions around this technology and its regulation.