Understanding Technology in the Context of National Development: Critical Reflections

Understanding Technology in the Context of National Development: Critical Reflections

Cover
Author	Siddhartha Paul Tiwari Oleksii Kostenko Yuriy Yekhanurov
Language	English
Series	Monographs
Subject	Technology policy; economic development
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	SciFormat Publishing Inc.
Publication date	March 27, 2025
Publication place	Canada
Media type	PDF (eBook)
ISBN	978-1-0690482-3-3
OCLC	1526578916

Understanding Technology in the Context of National Development: Critical Reflections is a book on technology policy and national development, written by Siddhartha Paul Tiwari, Oleksii Kostenko and Yuriy Yekhanurov (former Prime Minister of Ukraine). The book examines the relationship between digital technologies, governance and economic development in developing countries and middle-income countries. ^{[1] [2]}

The book has drawn critical analysis from African media regarding its application to economic development in emerging and developing countries. Reviews in the The Standard (Kenya), The Botswana Guardian and The Namibian have examined the work in the context of digital divide and institutional readiness in the global south. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Review and reception

• A review in The Namibian described the book as a policy oriented discussion of broadband expansion, the digitization of public services, and economic development. The review also stated that the book’s coverage of some themes was limited, attributing this to its brevity and the small number of empirical case studies included. ^[4]
• A review in the Botswana Guardian, the book "arrives not as a celebratory ode to innovative technology, but as a guidebook for policymakers and public servants" and described it as a pragmatic, institution-focused resource for Botswana's digital transformation. While also noting while the book offers a robust framework, it is not intended as a one-size-fits-all guide and its limited discussion of multilingual design, small-market scale and traditional governance structures in Botswana. ^[5]
• Journalist Peter Tanyanyiwa in The Standard (Kenya) described the book relevant to Kenya’s development agenda and framed it as a practical resource for decision‑makers. He summarized the book’s argument that technology-led development depends on strong institutions, interoperable systems, reliable data, cybersecurity, and skilled personnel, rather than new digital platforms alone. Tanyanyiwa also noted the book’s discussion of sustainability and ethical governance, including calls for transparency and human oversight when AI is used in public decision‑making. ^[3]

Academic Use

• Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the country’s principal public research and innovation body, has included the book among its recommended references for researchers and internal knowledge work. ^[4]

Synopsis

The book is structured as a set of thematic reflections for developing nations rather than a single-country case study. It outlines a framework in which technology policy is analysed through four main dimensions which are digital governance capacity, institutional design, digital infrastructure and citizen capabilities. ^[6] The book discusses how technological change affects national development, including citizens’ interactions, public-sector delivery, and the growth of the digital economy, alongside governance challenges such as cross-border cloud commerce, fraud and taxation. ^[7]

References

1. "Understanding technology in the context of national development : critical reflections | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
2. Tiwari, Siddhartha Paul; Kostenko, Oleksii; Yekhanurov, Yuriy (2025-03-27). UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS. SciFormat Publishing Inc. ISBN   978-1-0690482-3-3.
3. Tanyanyiwa, Peter. "How Kenya can turn technological progress into real development". The Standard. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
4. Yusuf, Husmiati (2025-10-05). "Africa's digital future through a global eye". The Namibian . Retrieved 2026-01-08.
5. Tafirenyika, Tracy (2025-10-31). "Tech Without the Hype: A Pragmatic Blueprint for Botswana's Digital Future". Guardian Sun. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
6. Tiwari, Siddhartha Paul; Kostenko, Oleksii; Yekhanurov, Yuriy (2025-03-27). UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS. SciFormat Publishing Inc. ISBN   978-1-0690482-3-3.
7. Tiwari, Siddhartha Paul; Kostenko, Oleksii; Yekhanurov, Yuriy (2025-03-27). "Understanding Technology in the Context of National Development: Critical Reflections". MPRA Paper.