| Type | Conference participation |
| Event | UNCTAD WIR 2011 Seminar & Expert Meeting on Technology Transfer |
| Organized by | UNCTAD |
| Location | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Date | February 15–18, 2011 |
| Slides | Download the presentation (PDF) |
A contribution to the UNCTAD WIR 2011 seminar and Expert Meeting on technology transfer, Geneva (February 15–18, 2011).
In short: The role that small and medium enterprises play in transferring technology between developing countries through their foreign investment — and how that channel of South-South diffusion grew.
About the talk
This contribution to UNCTAD’s 2011 meetings examined how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) act as channels for South-South technology transfer through their outward foreign investment. It considered how technology and know-how diffuse between developing countries when SMEs invest across the global South, and what that implies for sustainable development — a complement to the author’s broader work on SME outward investment.
From the conference
What the talk covered
- SMEs as technology carriers — smaller firms, not just large multinationals, transfer technology and know-how between developing countries through their investments.
- A growing South-South channel — investment flows among developing countries expanded substantially over the decades, widening this route for technology diffusion.
- Relevance to sustainable development — the diffusion of appropriate technology across the global South has direct development implications for host economies.
- A policy role — supporting SME internationalisation can strengthen technology transfer between developing countries.
Get the slides
The full presentation is available as a PDF:
⇩ Download the presentation (PDF)
Related research on this site
Thematically related work by the author:
- Going Global: The Rise of Small & Medium Indian Companies as International Players — on outward FDI by Indian SMEs (Pradhan & Sahoo, UNCTAD volume, 2007).
