The book places nanotechnology's emergence within a broad historical and contemporary global context while developing and testing an interpretive framework through which to assess nanotechnology's claims. It clarifies the nature of global engagement with nanotechnology research and development, revealing surprising scenarios, unacknowledged by most mainstream commentators. The book concludes by exploring a range of perspectives from Thailand and Australia about nanotechnology's foreseen implications for global inequity.

Introduction. Methodology. Development, Technology and Inequity. Nanotechnology, Development and Inequity. The State of Play. Understanding Nanotechnology. Innovative Capacity. Technological Appropriateness. Approaches to Technological Governance. Conclusions. Appendices.