United States and the Middle Income Countries: Technical Cooperation to Assist the Low-Income Countries

摘要

Middle-income nations (MIN's) which have 'graduated' from many A.I.D. development programs can now collaborate with A.I.D. in providing technical assistance to low-income nations (LIN's), according to this report. Defining MIN's as having per capita incomes in the $500-$1,500 range and arguing that it is in the United States's economic and security interests to collaborate with MIN's (who supply, for example, more than half of the world's cobalt, aluminum, tin, and rubber), the report makes the case for U.S.-MIN collaboration in promoting LIN development by illustrating the trade, resource, and security interests that the three parties currently share. Specifically, the report suggests that U.S. technical, financial, and human resources, combined with MIN's social, geographical, and linguistic similarities to LIN's and the low cost of MIN capital and labor make U.S.-MIN cooperation practicable. Recommendations for specific programs, namely, that A.I.D. create an Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (ISTC) to administer the proposed collaborative program. Projects should be selected that have a wide impact (useful results within 5-10 years), transfer technology or improve management and planning, and yield continuing institutional linkages between the three parties. An assessment of the ability of 14 MIN's to participate in the proposed program is provided, and areas of potential cooperation are defined. Overall, it is recommended that the ISTC: encourage U.S. experts to participate in joint activities on an equal basis with non-U.S. collaborators; use 20% of its unprogrammed funds for direct collaborative efforts; and carefully coordinate U.S. government agencies involved in its projects.