This collection sets out to explore technology policy in Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s. It is based on country studies and industry studies in the main Latin American economies and examines the political turmoil surrounding protected industrialisation in these countries.

Originally published in 1993, this book contains 3 studies from Latin America: Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. These studies bring out sharply the processes at work in Latin America between 1950 and 1980, which were responsible for the crisis that the continent faced in the 1980s. In each case there was a striking failure in building up national technological capability so that the country could grapple with the problems it faced.