Science policy and developing countries.

The role of science policy in a developing country is to provide a systematic analysis of its actual domestic development needs. Development here means a strategy or a set of strategies which enables a country to utilize its natural resources to its own best advantage and to improve its trade quality of life for its citizens and the governance and economy of the interior. An important factor in a development strategy is cultural strength which contributes to a more dynamic yet stable country. The concept of development is best understood by considering several important aspects of the process: 1) development as a multidimensional process; 2) social capital (e.g. railway network port and harbor facilities); 3) attitudes tradition and culture; 4) educational system; 5) education and training; 6) agriculture and land reform; and 7) industrialization and manpower problems. In recent times the concept of development has led to the emergence of new theories such as the theory of underdevelopment and the theory of dependence. A major component of the dependency theory is the concept of technology transfer by which technology is exported by a Western country to a developing country. Some see technology transfer as a means of social control. Developing countries could perhaps benefit from the Chinese model of development; the Chinese model illustrates the concept of self-reliance and that the ability to manage ones own national resources is not impossible to achieve. For development to succeed it is necessary that the integrity and cultural heritage of the country as well as its institutional structure be preserved.