Technology transfer for rural housing: An interpretive structural modeling approach

Purpose - Technological intervention for housing construction in rural areas in India is very low. The purpose of this paper is to understand the mutual influences of the variables influencing technology transfer in the rural housing sector. Design/methodology/approach - Using interpretive structural modeling, the research presents a hierarchy-based model and the mutual relationships among the variables of innovative and cost-effective technology transfer. Findings - The outcome of the research is a framework for technology transfer in rural India. The research shows that there exists a group of variables having a high driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention. Another group consists of those variables which have high dependence and are the resultant actions. Practical implications - This framework provides a useful tool to understand the mutual relationships among different variables in effective technology transfer. Originality/value - Presentation of variables in a hierarchy and the classification into driver and dependent categories is unique in the area of technology transfer in the rural housing sector.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]