Unraveling the Concept of Appropriate Technology in Global Health: A Critical Perspective

Author Heidi Morefield delves into the intriguing story of appropriate technology, a concept that has reshaped the landscape of global health and international development. In her book, Developing to Scale, Morefield explores how this idea has evolved over the years, influencing the way we approach global health challenges.

The Birth of Appropriate Technology

In 1973, economist E. F. Schumacher published his seminal work, Small Is Beautiful, introducing the concept of appropriate technology to a broader audience. This idea posits that global health development projects in the Global South are most sustainable when they are small-scale, decentralized, and balanced between traditional and modern approaches.

Schumacher’s theory gained widespread appeal in the 1970s, driven by factors such as cuts to foreign aid budgets, national interests, postcolonial activism, and the rise of the US tech sector. As a result, there was a shift away from large-scale modernization projects, like water treatment facilities, towards point-of-use technologies like village water pumps and oral rehydration salts.

The Impact of Appropriate Technology on Global Health

This paradigm shift towards smaller-scale projects had significant implications for the practice of global health. Morefield’s book examines the history of appropriate technology in international health and development, highlighting the key players, organizations, and events that shaped this critical concept.

Morefield reveals how certain technologies have been deemed more or less appropriate for the Global South, based on assumptions about gender, race, culture, and environment. She demonstrates how policymakers have wielded appropriate technology as a tool to constrain aid to a scale that does not threaten Western interests and to scale up global health initiatives through the development and distribution of technical interventions.

By unpacking the complex and often contradictory nature of appropriate technology, Morefield’s study provides a nuanced understanding of how this concept has influenced global health policy and practice.

Developing to Scale is a critical and thought-provoking work that will appeal to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in global health, international development, and the history of technology.

Book Details:

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Date: October 24, 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9780226828619 (hardcover), 9780226828626 (paperback)