Method, Myth and Model: Analysis and the International Transfer of Technology

摘要

The issues confronting decisionmakers in their attempts to use the development and transfer of technology as an instrument of U.S. national security policy can be partitioned into four generic types: (1) the international transfer of technology as a variable in East-West relations; (2) the comparative advantage of the U.S., relative to the Soviet Union, in the use of technology; (3) the effect of international technology transfers on the economic position of the U.S.; (4) the nature of U.S. technical assistance to new and industrializing nations. Very little attention, however, has been given to the analytical foundations which provide the basis for policy decisions in these areas, especially as they pertain to our relationship with the Soviet Union, since the belief in certain 'political myths' has, until recently, substituted for more traditional kinds of analysis. More refined definition of the issues and their subsequent decomposition into researchable questions is necessary. This stage is especially critical, since a clear statement of purpose is an essential step in implementing a case survey method, the most desirable approach to answering questions about the international transfer of technology, given the current state of the art.