Novel approaches for scaling up engineering-based inclusive innovation

Joshi, Pallavi; Kale, Dinar and Wield, David (2024). Novel approaches for scaling up engineering-based inclusive innovation. In: 31st International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering 2024, 9-11 Jul 2024, University College London, London, UK.

Abstract

Given their obvious need, why is it so hard for new pro-poor, engineering-based inclusive innovation (EII) to become more mainstream? Can new trajectories emerge that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable? Those interested in these questions have studied the role of science and engineering in development but have been brought up short by a range of constraints. These include the poverty of those who might benefit most but also institutional barriers to the inclusion of some actors with knowledge and experience of scaling innovations towards the mainstream. This paper presents new theories and a set of case studies of attempts to scale and mainstream innovations. We have gathered data from and analysed scaling up case studies from different sectors and geographies, including the UK, China, India, Bangladesh, Uganda. The paper advocates for the advantages of evolutionary approaches to development engineering that take account of institutional variety over static, neo-classical and one-size-fits-all approaches. We show that one size fits all does not apply to scaling up for engineering-based inclusive innovations. We illustrate that engineering innovations that have not been replicated on a large scale have not necessarily failed. We conclude by arguing that it is possible to go beyond market failure approaches towards a more agile framework for the delivery of innovations and suggest that our results resonate with broader changes in the greening of the global economy.

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