Technological Leapfrogging

Technology Promotes Development:The Growth Report 2008 identified key factors for growth; engagement with global economy Specialising exports Transfer of key technologies Of the 13 countries that showed the most sustained growth, they had all absorbed knowledge from the rest of the world. It showed that knowledge gained from the global economy is the basis of economic catch up and sustained growth.Innovation and Higher Education:In order to develop countries need to invest in innovation and education to ensure growth is sustained. Patents - exclusive right of ownership and possession of intellectual property e.g. James Dyson invented...Higher education - university education is needed for long term economic developmentIn 2012, 312,000 patents were granted around the world, more than a 1/3 of them in Japan. Just under a 1/3 were granted in the US. Intellectual property rights are rights given to people to protect the things they have created using their minds. There are two types of intellectual property rights; copyright and industrial property.Copyright protects the written words, music, performance, art and media productions. Normally copyright is protected for 50 years after the death of creator. Industrial property protects trademarks, geographical origins (e.g. Scotch Whisky), inventions, trade secrets and designs. The inventions component of industrial property is protected by patents. Patents are normally enforced 20 years after they are granted. The patent system allows businesses and individuals to benefit from their inventions. The WTO protects intellectual property rights through the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). However it has been criticised for enforcing the movement of money to from the developing to the developed world where most copyrights and patents are held. It has also been accused of creating artificial scarcity - e.g. a copy of Office 2007 costs a few pence to put onto a CD but sells for £100 or more/ibuprofen costs a few pence to make but sells for £3/£4. Software and drugs companies argue that they need to maintain high prices to cover the cost of research and development.

Technological Leapfrogging:Technological leapfrogging is a way of overcoming some of the barriers of development. A country skips over less efficient/more expensive technologies to move onto better solutions. Mobile Phones in Afghanistan:Abdul Wakil lives in Afghanistan. He first used a mobile phone in 2008 and it has transformed the way in which he runs his small dry goods store. They used to have to go all the way into the city to order produce but now they can order over the phone. 72% of Afghans are now covered by mobile phone signal whereas only 1% have access to a fixed telephone lineThe ongoing Russia-Afghanistan conflict left the country littered with landmines and unexploded bombs so laying and maintaining telephone cables is very dangerous