Learning to Innovate vs. Learning to Manufacture: Towards an Alternative Technology Strategy

India's diversified and sophisticated manufacturing base contrasts strongly with the near complete absence of visible innovative capabilities. This article examines the Indian "National System of Innovation" in order to address the question of the evident distinction between the ability to make and the ability to make better.The article examines the historical record of industrialisation and innovation in India, and argues that the distinction between the knowledge of “how to make” (manufacture) and the knowledge of “how to make better” (innovation) was inadequately appreciated in development planning in the country.