Technology and Human Development

This paper has two main objectives. The first is to focus on the role of technology, in combination with human development, in generating the growth needed for further increases in human development, which is seen as the bottom-line output. The second objective is to explore how technology measured by total factor productivity can itself be better explained by way of examining the role of openness, foreign direct investment and various types of patents. The contrast between Latin America and Asia with respect to these variables is established.