The first point to be made is that the transfer of technology from one place to another is not just a recent phenomenon but has existed throughout recorded history. Abundant archaeological evidence convincingly demonstrates that such transfer was an important aspect of prehistoric societies as well. Francis Bacon observed almost 400 years ago that three great mechanical inventions–printing, gunpowder, and the compass–had “changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world; the first in literature, the second in warfare, the third in navigation.” What Bacon did not observe was that none of these inventions, which so changed the course of human history, had originated in Europe, although it was from that continent that their worldwide effects began to spread. Rather, these inventions represented successful instances of technology transfer–possibly, in all three cases, from China.

It may be seriously argued that, historically, European receptivity to new technologies, and the capacity to assimilate them whatever their origin, has been as important as inventiveness itself. For inventions, as opposed to other goods, must be produced only once. And it is a conspicuous feature of their history that Europeans engaged in aggressive borrowing of inventions and techniques that had originated in other cultures.

Thus, in the discussion that follows, we will not focus upon an activity that is unique to the second half of the twentieth century, although we will be interested in the special circumstances of recent technology transfers.