INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS, GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: SOME REFLECTIONS FROM PREVIOUS RESEARCH

Abstract

Continuing this series of six articles in which the first and second research papers dealt with public sector management and the political economy of public policies in relationship to some insights from distortions to agriculture, third paper attempts to deal with and outline the importance of international competitiveness, globalization and technology in developing countries. The role of technology cannot be underestimated for public administration, governance, and for purposes of economic growth. In so doing the paper will examine key global trends and traces the impact of the rise of China on developing countries. The paper will therefore, attempt to show that technology is an important element of globalization and competitiveness and that, developing countries because of their lack of competitiveness and technological change cannot effectively participate adequately in the technological world. This by implication hampers the emergence of public administration and governance in developing countries. The paper is crystallized from the in depth work by Carl Dahlman 2006, which arose from a seminar in New York. The seminar dealt with the following issues technology and economic growth; changes in regional competitiveness; high performers over the last 50 years and their strategies with particular reference to East Asian economies; a review of the BRICM countries (Brazil, Russia, India,, China, and Mexico) which are the largest developing country economies. Developing countries find it difficult to compete with high performing East Asian countries because of the competitive environment and more difficult because of the rapid rise of China and to a lesser extent India. Finally some conclusions are discussed. It is hoped that these first three papers on public administration will rekindle the importance of the issues discussed. Although these papers are not original research, the works of celebrated authors in the compilation of these papers will assist in creating awareness, but more importantly, it is hoped that policy makers in the so called developing world will utilize the strategies advanced in