Choice of technique in developing countries

This paper summarizes briefly some of the discussion on the question of choice of techniques in developing countries and suggests some alternative lines of approach that might be helpful. The neo‐classical approach which assumes a wide range of choice of technique is rejected as being unhistorical in its view of technological development; the technological determinist1 view which concludes that there is virtually no choice of technique at all ignores crucial aspects of scale, product and process which widen the choice available. The question of choice of technique is a question of product (in scale, type and quality) as well as method of production, and must be viewed dynamically—the choice available changes over time and is itself subject to choice in the sense that a country or countries can choose to develop techniques in one direction rather than another.