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The Role of the Marginalized and Unusual Suspects in the Production of Digital Innovations: Models of Innovation in an African Context

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Locally Relevant ICT Research (IDIA 2018)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 933))

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Abstract

The rapid proliferation of innovation concepts addressing experiences in the Global South raises crucial questions about the relevance of this phenomenon for development. In an effort to bring conceptual clarity, this paper reviews several related understandings of innovation and related approaches to, firstly, map overlaps and differences, and secondly, understand how they are situated within the development discourse. This study uses a literature review and applies thematic analysis in identifying the various innovation concepts, and the extent to which they include the marginalized in their framing and operationalization. In particular, this study evaluates whether these innovation concepts are framing innovation as something developed outside of poor communities but on behalf of them, whether innovation is designed alongside poor communities, or whether it is designed by and within poor communities. The findings of this study revealed that in most cases, these concepts are pro-poor, with very few exceptions of innovations done in collaboration with the poor, in a per-poor process.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Global South is a term used to denote the “interconnected histories of colonialism, neo-imperialism, and differential economic and social change through which large inequalities in living standards, life expectancy, and access to resources are maintained” (Dados and Connell 2012).

  2. 2.

    Funding was provided by the UK Economic and Social Sciences Research Council, Grant Number ES/P006582/1.

  3. 3.

    http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/360021468187787070/A-global-count-of-the-extreme-poor-in-2012-data-issues-methodology-and-initial-results.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Paul Mungai & Jean-Paul Van Belle

  2. University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Andrea Jimenez & Dorothea Kleine

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  1. Paul Mungai
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  2. Andrea Jimenez
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  3. Dorothea Kleine
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  4. Jean-Paul Van Belle
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Correspondence to Jean-Paul Van Belle .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Kirstin Krauss

  2. University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Marita Turpin

  3. University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Filistea Naude

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Mungai, P., Jimenez, A., Kleine, D., Van Belle, JP. (2019). The Role of the Marginalized and Unusual Suspects in the Production of Digital Innovations: Models of Innovation in an African Context. In: Krauss, K., Turpin, M., Naude, F. (eds) Locally Relevant ICT Research. IDIA 2018. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 933. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11235-6_17

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