Comparative technology and public policy: The development of the nuclear power reactor in six nations

This essay proposes an analytic framework to compare the development and commercialization of a number of advanced civilian technologies. This framework emphasizes the multiple institutional actors and their objectives that such technology developments manifest and reflect. The construct is then illustrated in the context of the development and diffusion of the nuclear power reactor in six nations. The major policy observations deal with the finding that there are distinct developmental stages; furthermore, government policies had best recognize these stages with their particular requirements, so that policies can be formulated which are appropriate to these conditions.The research for this paper was performed under a grant from the National Science Foundation while the author was a member of the research staff of The Rand Corporation. The views expressed are the author's own and are not necessarily shared by The Rand Corporation, the Solar Energy Research Institute, nor their respective research sponsors.