The impact of export controls on indigenous technology development: the case of India’s space programme.

The timing of export controls and the state of technological capability of a ‘target’ country at a given time appear to determine the degree of impact of export controls on a ‘target’ country. The impact is likely to be much greater in the formative phase than in the accumulative phase of technology accumulation. Also, the export controls, instead of hampering, could provide an incentive for a strong indigenous effort in building capabilities, eventually making a ‘target country more independent and more immune to export controls. India’s space programme makes an interesting case study of the impact of export controls on capability building, as India has been one of the targets for export control regimes. The technology developments in India’s space programme suggests that the export controls have caused only small delays and did not affect the programme seriously. It appears that the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) came into force too late to have a serious adverse impact on India, as India has already attained threshold capabilities. It also appears that export controls have forced India to plan and strategically manage indigenous technology development to overcome problems posed by these controls