Technology & Culture . No. 9

Technology and culture Book Reviews 181 this is a worthwhile contribution to the all-too-incomplete chronicle of the welding industry. William Worthington* Technology Culture. No. 9: Technology Policy Trends and Information Services in Sweden and China—a Çomparison. By Sun Xuechen. No. 10: Chicken and Egg: Electronics and Social Change in India. By Ward Morehouse and Ravi Chopra. No. 11 : Information Infrastructures in India and China. By Erik Baark. Lund: Research Policy Institute, 1983. Pp. 50, 100, 62; tables, notes. Skr 25:00, 45:00, 30:00 (paper). There are tremendous differences between Sweden and China in population, economic levels, scientific and technological abilities, cultural tradition, and social systems. Sun Xuechen, in Technology Policy Trends and Information Services in Sweden and China—a Comparison, discusses the dynamic features of the policy imperatives of the two countries. The priority areas identified for intensive development in China are agriculture, energy, transport, education, and science—the weak links in Chinese economy. The present aim is to quadruple gross annual value of industrial and agricultural production by the end of this century. Sweden is a developed country, but its two economic pillars, iron ore mining and steel production, now face stiffcompetition in the world market, mainly because of neglect in technological innovation. Some of the science-based technologies recommended for Sweden are information technology, microelectronics, and biotechnology. Comparing technology policy trends in Sweden and China, one sees clearly that China has internal problems of developing industry and agriculture, while Sweden is concerned with maintaining its competi­ tiveness in the international export market. The book gives some useful descriptive information on the technology policy and informa­ tion infrastructures in the two countries and successfully brings to the surface some of the major problems they face. Ward Morehouse and Ravi Chopra, taking the development policies of electronics in India, discuss the chicken-and-egg phenomenon of technological changes influencing socioeconomic conditions and cul­ tural values in a society and in turn being influenced by them. The Technology Policy Statement issued by the Indian government in January 1983, with its emphasis on technological self-reliance and trying to harness technology to serve national political purposes as well as the socioeconomic needs ofthe people, provides a clear understand­ *Mr. Worthington is a museum specialist in the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, National Museum of American History. 182 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE ing of the strategy for electronics development in India. In the main the government intends to use its huge domestice market, ensure indigenous production of electronics equipment in strategic areas, reduce technological dependence, diversify the electronics industry to increase employment opportunities, allow public companies to play a commanding role particularly in sophisticated professional electron­ ics, strive to have an electronics industry integrated with various sectors of production like industry and agriculture, and encourage exports of electronics with special incentives provided to exporting units. It remains to be seen whether electronics has the potential to gener­ ate employment when India is faced with a huge backlog of unem­ ployed persons, and whether microelectronics will provide a unique opportunity for technological leapfrogging. These are tall orders in the face of a lack of suitable technical infrastructure, especially in rural areas, skewed distribution ofskills in the country, and the sophisticated electronic equipment. And it remains to be seen how electronics affects the Indian cultural tradition. Indian scholars have presented various views, ranging from developing a purely scientific tradition to the integration of scientific and spiritual traditions. How the electronics industry will mesh with Indian society is difficult to perceive to the fullest extent, but one thing is clear: with such a large mass of poor people, unless the social and economic structures are radically changed to make electronics products available to them, it will be difficult to substantially influence their present social conditions. This thought-provoking book provides a basis for studying the social impact of technology on developing countries and a way to search for alternatives as a process of the interaction of technology and society. Erik Baark’s monograph on Information Infrastructures in India and China examines the role of information services in these countries, where the imperatives of an effective information infrastructure for scientific

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