Technology Generation and Technology Transfers in the World Economy: Recent Trends and Implications for Developing Countries

This paper puts together new data on the technology generation and technology transfers in the world economy over the 1975-1995 period to examine the emerging trends and patterns. In particular we examine the trends in the country and corporate concentration in the technology generation in terms of indicators of R&D activity, patent ownership and receipts of technology fees and royalties against the background of emergence of new core technologies and the recent trend of corporate restructuring. It then examines trends and patterns in international technology transfers as represented by royalty and technology receipts by major source countries of technology and contrasts these trends with those in FDI inflows. Then trends with respect to the mode of technology transfer are discussed. The paper is concluded with a few observations for technology import policies of developing countries.