The development of Brazil's technological capabilties in the post war period: From dependence to self-reliance?

This article aims to survey the evolution of technology policy in Brazil from its inception to the mid 1990s, paying particular attention to the impact of rapid trade and market liberalisation. The analysis reveals that the onset of liberalisation has done relatively little to intensify attempts to become more technologically self-reliant or capable. Instead, long established modes of technological acquisition and development-based on imported basic designs and minor local adaptations-have stubbornly remained in place. The very persistence of this situation is suggestive of the scale of institutional and policy changes which would need to be wrought in order to induce greater technological dynamism.