学在ZIBS丨Alternative Development Paths: Latin American Insights

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On September 22, ZIBS hosted an international symposium titled "Exploring Alternative Innovation Models from Emerging Economies: Policies and Perspectives" The symposium focused on scrutinizing alternative approaches to innovation and economic growth, with the aim of fostering a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. In the closing keynote lecture of the symposium, Carolina Bagattolli, Professor at the Federal University of Paraná, delivered a speech on "Fostering Alternative Developmental Trajectories: Insights from Latin America", conveying her perspectives as stated below:

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"Undesirable" Elements of the 

Dominant Trajectory

To identify "Undesirable" elements of the dominant trajectory can be considered from different angles:

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The Myth of Neutral Science

Science is value-neutral, and it can also be referred to as being unrelated to or detached from values. In this sense, values are societal perspectives that exist within different cultures, time periods, societies, historical eras, and social groups characterized by prominent internal contradictions. For science to contribute to human well-being, it should free itself from external interests and any forms of bias. By separating science from everyday domains and exempting it from questioning regarding societal values, science is characterized as being universal. The connection between science and technology has given rise to the term "techno science," implying that technology is a product of social construction, and in the face of commercialization, the non-neutrality of science becomes more apparent.

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The Myth of the Universality of Knowledge

Different social actors can effectively transfer knowledge generated in diverse contexts without the need to tailor the portrayal of research agendas or even technological innovation to specific local circumstances. This can explain why nations with contrasting social backgrounds may adopt similar policy guidelines. Furthermore, events considered successful should be applicable to different countries. If scientific knowledge and its flow are universal, then categories of knowledge and their generation can be completely transferred from one societal environment to another. This is also an expression of the notion of rationality, which often presents itself in the optimal form, leading to policy convergence. This could perhaps explain why countries are keen on participating in international knowledge-sharing endeavors.

Policy and research agendas in Latin America have historically been influenced by certain inclinations, meaning these policies and agendas are ultimately connected to the socio-economic needs of the local region. However, this is also the issue at hand because the efforts to promote a center-based cultural research agenda may depend entirely on the outcome of its reforms. By adopting an international and institutionalized knowledge production model, there is a minimal likelihood that marginalized cultural production will create knowledge that meets local demands. Consequently, the research agendas end up reflecting issues of developed countries rather than their own, rendering knowledge production useless for their own development.

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Alternative Technological Proposals

Due to dissatisfaction with the distribution of technological advances and their negative impacts, different technological alternatives have emerged throughout history. From Gandhi's advocacy of appropriate technology to the Latin American replacements of social technology and technical solidarity, among other examples, these cases illustrate that the issue isn't solely about access to technology but also pertains to the characteristics of the dominant techno-scientific paradigm.

Although there are exceptions, these facts concerning alternative solutions have received minimal attention from governments across Latin American countries, even during the most progressive periods. Efforts to promote business technological innovation as a primary guiding principle of technology innovation policies have had limited success in North America as well. In conclusion, considering the perspective of innovation services, the lack of job growth in economic development threatens industrial economic complexity, and the relative importance of innovation activities for businesses continuously diminishes.

Taking Brazil as an example, from 1919 to 2017, the proportion of innovation activities to net sales decreased from 3.8% to 1.7%, representing a decrease of approximately 45% over a twenty-year period. In innovation-oriented industries, only 16% of companies consider research and development activities to be of high or moderate importance for innovation. In contrast, 65% of companies view the application of mechanical equipment as equally important as research and development activities. However, it is important to note that only 4% of companies express that the economic risk or cost of innovation is of high or moderate importance, indicating that the primary barriers to innovation in various industries do not lie in financial issues.

In a region as unequal as Latin America, technological scientific apparatus holds immense potential in addressing severe social issues. Regarding infrastructure, in Brazil, one out of every three households lacks simultaneous access to treated water, electricity, and sanitation facilities. In terms of food security, last year, Brazil had 70.3 million people facing serious food security issues, where the quantity and quality of food were not assured, and among them, 21 million people experienced daily hunger. The employment situation in Brazil is also concerning, with high unemployment rates and 48.7% of workers engaged in the informal sector, a proportion that continues to rise.

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Technology Resignification

So, what kind of incentives and policies are needed to foster new alternative solutions? While it is not possible to answer this question within such a short time, one thing is clear: if technology innovation policies continue to follow the dominant technological development model, it will be difficult to overcome the global and national challenges we face. Therefore, it is imperative to reposition the potential of technological science, conduct comprehensive diagnostics based on other socio-economic values, address existing problems and possibilities, and harness the potential of technological science to exchange alternative strategies and drive the creation of knowledge and technology.

Considering the non-neutrality of science and technology, in order for the local technological scientific potential to truly contribute to societal inclusion and development, we urgently need to work towards changing the research agenda, incorporating diverse values, abandoning the forced models adopted thus far, and repositioning it as a paradigm for technology projects. Ultimately, our goal is not solely to support corporate innovation on these issues but to overcome the problems faced by the majority of people.

Editor｜LI Songjiao, JIN Yingjie

Managing Editor｜CHENQI Lisha, XU Fan

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