The impact of technology on barriers to industrialisation in developing countries

In the next two decades, technology will redraw the manufacturing map of the world. One potential cause for this change – automation – has received much attention. As automation increases, new technologies are removing the barriers that have excluded most developing countries from industrialising. This change, much less often discussed, is equally important. This paper explains and explores that change. It reviews evidence that a radiation of manufacturing into new locations is already under way.  As legacy factors, such as geography and starting conditions become somewhat less important, other factors will be pivotal to the future of manufacturing. This establishes actionable priorities for countries aspiring to become manufacturing exporters.