The expansion of Western progress through technology transfer: social implications for the Third World

Abstract

Since the early 1970s, the issue of Third World development has emerged in contemporary literature as a problem of "technology transfer". In short, technology transfer is being increasingly embraced on a global level as a tangible solution to the development issue. The solution is often characterized in economic or technical terms, while leaving under-scrutinized, the social link between technological development and our common sensical, historically constituted understanding of "progress". By advocating technological development solutions without fully acknowledging the Western foundation of technological progress, the development issue tends to be disconnected from broader themes of Western values and civilizational advancement. To demonstrate how these themes are manifested in a Third World environment, the paper examines the case of Deng era China and its use of technology transfer for accelerating modernization. Specifically, the paper addresses the "open door" policy changes in China and resulting implications of expanding the Western idea of progress through technological development.