Co-creating community-led frugal innovation: An adapted Quadruple Helix?

Bibhuti Ranjan Bhattacharjya, Saradindu Bhaduri and Sashindra Kumar Kakoty

Technovation, 2023, vol. 124, issue C

Abstract: Frugal innovation often requires cooperation among heterogeneous actors with diverse values, capabilities, interests, and norms. This qualitative, action-oriented case study presents the dynamics and interplay among the quadruple helix actors for community-led frugal innovation, thereby emphasizing the role of academia in its process. The findings of this study depict that informal actors can bring significant innovative inputs into the innovation system if the right kind of mechanisms are employed and trust-building exercises are undertaken. In addition, this study stimulates one to reflect on the challenges and complexities faced by academicians in publicly funded research institutions, especially for bringing informal actors into the innovation system and creating shared values. The quadruple helix model has been primarily discussed; most discussions involve advanced country settings. This study, conducted in a developing country setting, demonstrates that an intermediary actor linked to (but not identical to) the existing academia can significantly shape cooperation and its related activities in the desired direction. The findings indicate the necessity for adapting existing behavioural norms or institutional rigidities that exist among academic institutions if one wishes to galvanize the rich potential of community-led frugal innovations in India. Policy recommendations are discussed to create a conducive environment for such innovations.

Keywords: Frugal innovation; Community engagement; Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP); Quadruple Helix; Developing economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:techno:v:124:y:2023:i:c:s0166497223000639

DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102752

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