ABSTRACT
Technology can be defined simply as a collection of processes for transforming inputs into outputs and the knowledge and skills necessary for their application. From whatever perspective one approaches development issues, there is rare unanimity that technology and, more specifically, technical change (that is, improvements in processes of transformation) have a central role in any explanation of economic growth and industrialisation. Technology remains something of a ‘black box’, however, much discussed but often not fully understood. In this chapter we first survey some technology concepts before turning to Neoclassical and competing perspectives.1 We discuss some of the evidence on technical change in newly industrialised and low income economies and conclude with a policy assessment.
