ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Ernst Friedrich Schumacher's analysis of problems was applied to the search for feasible solutions. While much public knowledge of Intermediate Technology has come from the publicized experiments of Intermediate Technology practitioners, it is important to realize that E. F. Schumacher's work was not just a matter of tinkering and experimenting with intermediate technologies: it was founded on deeply thought-out theory. A regional focus is required, according to Schumacher, to provide the necessary economic structure to enable the bulk of the population in underdeveloped countries to participate productively in economic life. Schumacher points to the need for some kind of "controlled isolation" of districts within a large underdeveloped country to counteract the influence of modern infrastructure and modern technology on the traditional sector, so that local labor may be used primarily to cover local needs. Schumacher provides a formal and more precise outline of Intermediate Technology by focusing on the cost aspects of technology.
