A controversy revisited. Technological modernization in Latin America. Lessons from the debacle suffered by the "tigers" of the Pacific Rim and their"miracles"

The current economic crisis of the countries of the Asian Pacific Rim stron gly suggests that they did not constitute a paradigm of development to be f ollowed by Latin American countries. Economic analysis indicates that the s o called "Asian tigers" lacked a scientific and technologic basis that woul d have allowed them to successfully compete with industrialized countries, Thus, recommendations that Latin America countries follow this path of deve lopment appear not to be based in economic and historic realities, and infl uenced by the conflicts of interest that permeate the work of local and int ernational experts in economic and scientific development.