patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) (02/15/88)
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND THE THIRD WORLD*
Joaquin G. Tan**
There are very few paper coming from the third world and
thus we will not be able to hear their experiences on how the new
information technology is being transfered under 3rd world
situation. Because of this, the points I will discuss this
morning about technology transfer and the third world are based
largely on the perceived effects of technologies hitherto
introduced in most 3rd world countries. However, I feel that at
this point it's a foregone conclusion that the new information
technologies like the computers will have the same effects as I
will discuss below.
First of all we must look at technology not merely as a
mode of production with hardware (tools, machinery) and software
(skills and knowledge, organizations) components but also as
carrier of codes or social genes. These genes or codes is
manifested in the economic, social, cultural and even cognitive
aspects of society. "In the economic sphere Western technology
demands that industries be capital intensive, research-intensive,
organization-intensive and labor extensive. Socially, it creates
a "center" and a "periphery", perpetuating a dependency-forming
structure of inequality." Moreover, it tries to recreate aspects
of the social system which produced it. So it is not just tools
that is recreated but also institutions that produce tangible
commodities and systems like schools and hospitals and intangible
ones such as education and health. "In the cultural arena, it
sees the West as entrusted by destiny with the mission of casting
the rest of the world in its own image. And in the cognitive
field, it sees man as master of nature, the vertical and
individualistic relations between human beings as normal and
natural, and history as a linear movement of progress." (J.
Galtung)
It is because of these realities that I said earlier that
the effect or impact of the new information technology in our
societies is a foregone conclusion. Worse because of the
unstopable flow of more foreign technologies, our indigenous
innovative capabilities (the key to producing our own
technologies) will continually and unwittingly be suppressed.
This is very subtle process of suppression which is going on has
its roots in the colonial period. The third world countries
never really attained genuine independence. Third world economies
(agriculture and industry) financial system, education and
culture remain tied down to the institution and systems of their
former colonizers. I would like to add at this point that this
dependency is slowly being taken over by transnational
corporations in their process of increasing centralized control
over various aspects of the global economy.
I would like to illustrate how this dependency is
continually being reenforced in social development programs of
aid agencies and the third world governments (even perhaps in the
practice of social work). In the 1950's the "in" thing in
answering hunger and poverty is through dole outs. To give
outrightly, "bread and fish" so to speak. This was seem as
inadequate and dependency forming and so, the poor was taught how
to fish. Skills training was the thing then. For us working in
Non-governmental Organizations in the Philippines this is still
inadequate. The skills that is being taught to the poor is meant
to be a supply of cheap labor for industries of transnational
corporations and not skills to develop our self-reliance. Thus,
the current strategy now among non-governmental development
organization in the Philippines is to teach the poor how to make
his fishing gears/tools. However, we asked now, why will poor
have the incentive to make his tools if the products he produce
with his tools is being sold at the local market at a lower price
because of import liberalization? Yes the IMF-World Bank policies
impose on third world nations to liberalize their import control,
making us more dependent on imported transnational products.
Keeping alive our innovative capabilities is a very serious and
important matter if we want to develop genuine self-reliance.
This brings me to the topic on Third World issues. The most
fundamental issue I feel that cuts across almost all third world
nations is the disparities of our economies and culture. From
this fundamental issue springs forth other symphomes such as the
third world debt, trade relations and other popular issues.
Technology transfer to the third world have often than not
aggravated the gap of this disparities rather than remedy it. It
has fostered a more legalize process of exploitation through
royalties, transfer pricing, repartration of profits and other
mechanisms. Many nations and international non-governmental
organizations have been working for the creation of a new
International Economic Order but as we all know developed
countries have resisted even talking about it. Worse, developed
countries have passed into laws more protectionist measures. It
is funny if you think of it. Developed countries are moving
towards more protectionism while subtly imposing to third world
nations (through the IMF and World Bank) to liberalize import
control. This should be the other way around. It is ironic
indeed. It is no wonder that the gap between our countries
continue to grow rather than diminish.
So how do we fit in the new information technology in this
situation? I failed to discuss earlier about another aspect of
technology transfer, this is technology application. Since the
technology is there, the usual logic is better use it to ones
advantage up to a point that it can be done. Indeed this can be
done to some extent. The peoples of the third world countries
have been surviving because of this ability to cope with what is
there. This is what is usually termed as the process of
adaptation.
Most papers presented in this conference that touch on
technology transfer and third world issues concern itself with
the process of adaptation or technology application.
Adaptation happens to all societies whether from the
developed countries or developing ones. Different cultures have
their own mechnisms of adaptation. This is usually based on how
strong or weak their traditional technological structures are.
The smooth acceptance of technology by the users usually means
that a technology matches the traditional technological
structures of an individual, community or society. This is the
case with the developed countries where the indigenous innovative
capabilities of the population were given ample chance and time
to cope with constant change and development of technologies.
In poor countries, the traditional technological structure
more so traditional technologies have been unwittingly ridiculed
as primitive and superstitious during their history of
colonialism. Much of the indigenous abilities is stifled or
suppressed because of the continued influx of more imported
technologies. Thus, the transfer of more imported technologies is
almost always accompanied by a host of issues and problems. The
new information technologies will have the same effect as stated
above and will most probably increase further the disparities of
our economies.
For the developed countries it is more apt to look at
adaptation as actually the process of introducing innovations
while in the developing countries I would like to call this,
process of appropriation. The common experience of this method is
the participation of the people in the process involved in
adapation. In this process, the people will have the chance to
have the final say as to whether they will use the technology,
set it aside or reject it. And because of their participation
there is a consequent empowerment that occurs.
I would like now to center my discussion on how we are
appropriating the application of the new information technology
in the context that we all have to undergo the process of
adaptation.
I think the new information technology may help remedy the
disparities and inequalities I mentioned earlier if we use it as
a tool to reeducate ourselves and others about the realities of
our societies. Everyone must be made aware of how our own
individual and societal lifestyle contribute to the problem.
It is important to face the reality that affluence and poverty as
two sides of the same coin which means, one is impoverish because
the other is affluent. Before jumping to it I would like to list
some important prerequisites.
1. We must recognize that the technology must grow within
the appropriate cultural framework of the audiences the
technology is meant to serve. Thus it is the peoples of the third
world who must appropriate the technology perhaps with just a
little help from some first world individuals and institution.
2. We must realize that the new information technology is
still directed mainly towards the urban population and the
highest income group, not those social groups, particularly the
rural areas (70% of the population of the third world) who needs
the benefits derived from these innovations. Corollarily, the
poor communication infrastructure found in our countries
consequently disallow the majority poor to have access to the
technology. Thus only a few elite but concerned individuals will
logically be the contact persons for any attempt to link up
various initiatives using the new information technology.
3. We must be ready to change our mental set. Many of us
are aware that the collective consciousness of our present
society is still dominated by the mechanistic and materialistic
(profit) way of thinking. This can no longer be the driving force
of our everyday living. The holistic view of the world now
expounded by the new physics and quantum mechanics has
reconceptualized science and totally altered the meaning of
classical reality forever. This means that if we change our
mental set, all that we have known and learned hitherto should be
questioned and reevaluated.
4. Based on the experience of service workers in the
Philippines as well as the experiences I read from other
countries who have used the new information technology, the role
of consciousness in the process of appropriation is crucial. If
none of us ever thought of using the tools available now for
service work, we may not be able to perform the work that do now
nor will we find ourselves talking about it here. This entails a
commitment on our part to make technology do what it should do,
serve human needs and facilitate self-realization. Thus we must
continue to reeducate ourselves in order that we will reach a
level of understanding and consciousness in order that we will
find more ways and means to appropriate the technologies and
learn more about ourselves and our purpose in this planet.
The paper I read yesterday points to three (3) important
substance of the use of the new information technology which we
need to work on. They are:
1. The establishment of solid lines of communication and
information flow among peoples of the world defining various
audiences and addressing expressed needs. We may start with
alternative groups who are in service work and have reach a
certain level of planetary consciousness, who view the wholeness
of the world and are acting it out.
2. The development of data bases that would support the
actions of people to neutralize the excessive control and illegal
activities of transnational corporations, foreign policies of
governments that legitimize exploitation of the economies of
others, disarmaments and other important infomration that would
reeducate us about the ill effects of the lifestyles of our
societies.
3. The sharing of experiences of evolving alternative
structures and systems that are going on in our societies such as
alternative lifestyle communities, appropriate technologies,
sustainable agriculture and peace efforts.
I also said and I would like to reiterate that by doing
this, we are contributing to the evolution of what TEILHARD de
Chardin calls the formation of the NOOSPHERE and to Peter Russel,
a British Psychologist, the evolution of the "global Brain".
I would like to conclude by saying that this reeducational
process which all of us are undergoing and which we hope to
enhance and speed up through the use of the new information
technology should bring the realization in us to heal and
regenerate the earth, make amends on the abuses we made on
ourselves and with each other and learn to leave the life of
affluence and wasteful living in favor of more voluntary
simplicity.
Majority of the peoples of the third world do not really
want an affluent society, we just want a no poverty society, a
society that respects the earth and all the species she has
manifested. The people in this earth must see themselves again as
a participant in the evolutionary process of all life on this
planet and not that of a destroyer.
* Paper presented at the Human Services Technology Application or
HUSITA '87 September 10, 1987, City of Birmingham Polytechnic,
Birmingham, United Kingdom.
** Please address all questions and correspondence to Joaquin G.
Tan 1086 del Monte Avenue, SFDM Quezon City Philippines.
--
Patt Haring {sun!hoptoad,cmcl2!phri}!dasys1!patth
Big Electric Cat Public Access Unix (212) 879-9031 - System Operator
Three aspects of wisdom: intelligence, justice & kindness.