ABSTRACT
Several historical studies on technological transfer processes have underscored both their complexity and the multiple ways in which innovation has flown from early-industrialized countries to late-industrialized economies. Available literature reveals the role played by a number of agents that have served as technology transfer drivers over time. On the one hand, scholars have emphasized the role of multinational companies (MNCs) in trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), or several other types of agreements with local companies in host countries, including joint ventures, technology licensing contracts, production-sharing agreements, and more. 1 Many authors view MNCs as a primary technology transfer agent due to both their abilities to create and deploy innovations and the advantages created by their knowledge and market power. On the other hand, scholars have also noted the key role traditionally played by qualified workers and technicians who emigrate from more- to less-developed areas either to work as full-time employees or to build their own ventures. 2 Indeed, people have been instrumental in these processes, as technological transfers involve not only the flow of readily accessible information but also the sharing of largely tacit knowledge that can only be conveyed in direct, face-to-face interactions among social actors. Trade has also been cited as one of the mechanisms used to disseminate technologies across national borders. 3 Finally, authors have also highlighted the role played by public policies to promote technological transfers, particularly in the period starting in the 1970s. 4
