Measuring the Technology Achievement of Nations and the Capacity to Participate in the Network Age

Abstract

The technological transformations of the past decade and the emergence of the global marketplace have raised the stakes for all countries to become technologically connected-to be able to create, adapt and use global technological innovations. Yet the challenges of competing in the technology-based global marketplace and of harnessing technology as a tool for human development are very different across countries, which vary greatly in their technological capacity and needs. This paper presents a measurement approach to assess the technological achievements of a country, as an aid to policy-makers in identifying policy priorities. It sets out the rationale for and uses of the Technology Achievement Index (TAI), and composite measure of technological progress that ranks countries on a comparative global scale.

Keywords: technology, globalization, development, technological capacity, Technology Achievement Index