Nanotechnology and the Poor: Opportunities and Risks for Developing Countries

Engineering Small Worlds in a Big Society: Assessing the Early Impacts of Nanotechnology in China

“…In spite of that, many developing countries have become been active in this research area and have increased their scientific output. Moreover, a burgeoning discussion has appeared concerning the utility of nanotechnology for the poor (in developed, as well as developing, countries) and concerning the capacity of nanotechnology to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges of developing nations (see, e.g., Barker, Fatehi, Lesnick, Mealey, & Raimond, ; Burgi & Pradeep, ; Maclurcan, ; Niosi & Reid, ; Salamanca‐Buentello et al., ).…”

“…These benefits emanate from posited transdisciplinary and general purpose technology characteristics of nanotechnology and, with the rapid global spread of knowledge concerning nanotechnology, the opportunity to move closer to the frontier of technology more quickly than with earlier rounds of technological innovation. Barker and colleagues () noted that nanotechnology is “perceived by many as the next ‘transformative technology'––like electricity or the Internet––[that] encompasses a broad range of tools, techniques, and applications that manipulate or incorporate materials at the nanoscale in order to yield novel products … [that] may enable new or improved solutions to problems that have been challenging to solve with conventional technology” (p. 278). The extent of this transformative capacity is uncertain and is debatable, with views ranging from optimistic to more cautious.…”

“…In the end, it must be noted that the six areas where we aim to assess the early impacts of nanotechnology for the Chinese economy and society do not cover the entire spectrum of the social and economic effects of a given technology on individual nations but, as suggested by Klochikhin (), can be used as a model for an initial estimate of such effects. These impacts also seem to be relevant for any other technology, and the reason for our focus on the particular nanoscale R&D is its presumed general purpose nature and transformative capacity (Barker et al., ; Burgi & Pradeep, ). Moreover, the topicality of this emerging S&T area is explained by the fact that the nanotechnology policies have been introduced quite recently (since 2000) and many nations are still exploring the opportunities and benefits that they can get from investing in nanotechnology.…”

“…A bridging position in this debate comes from those who argue that major benefits will accrue to those developing countries who can establish initiatives to catch up with advanced nations in nanotechnology applications (Barker et al., ; Burgi & Pradeep, ; Niosi & Reid, ; Sigurdson, ). These benefits emanate from posited transdisciplinary and general purpose technology characteristics of nanotechnology and, with the rapid global spread of knowledge concerning nanotechnology, the opportunity to move closer to the frontier of technology more quickly than with earlier rounds of technological innovation.…”

Energy harvesting from body motion using rotational micro-generation

“…Technology is seen as a tool to help solve some social problems, such as healthcare, fertility, poverty and inequality, natural resources, and economic development, where new developments will directly improve the life quality, and help to boost the prosperity of nations. For instance, nanotechnology has been heralded as a solution for solving many problems in the developing world where the developed world see technological innovation as the main solution to alleviate poverty, as mentioned by Salamanca et al [108], Barker et al [10], and Canton [19]. On the other hand, there are situations where the social context is more important than the technology itself, as pointed by Invernizzi and Foladori [47], Keller [54], Meaney [73], and Freeman [32].…”