Below the Radar: What does Innovation in Emerging Economies have to offer other Low Income Economies?

Raphael Kaplinsky (), Joanna Chataway (), Norman Clark (), Rebecca Hanlin (), Dinar Kale (), Lois Muraguri (), Theo Papaioannou (), Peter Robbins () and Watu Wamae ()
Additional contact information
Raphael Kaplinsky: Open University, Milton Keynes
Joanna Chataway: Open University, Milton Keynes
Norman Clark: Open University, Milton Keynes
Rebecca Hanlin: Open University, Milton Keynes
Dinar Kale: Open University, Milton Keynes
Lois Muraguri: Open University, Milton Keynes
Theo Papaioannou: Open University, Milton Keynes
Peter Robbins: Open University, Milton Keynes
Watu Wamae: Open University, Milton Keynes

No 2010-020, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: Between 1970 and 2000 the proportion of global R&D occurring in low income economies rose from two percent to more than 20 percent. However, this rising commitment to R&D does not easily translate into the emergence of a family of innovations meeting the needs of low income consumers "at the bottom of the pyramid", since much of these technological resources are invested in outdated structures of innovation. A number of transnational corporations are targeting these markets but it is our contention that much of the previously dominant innovation value chains are either ignorant of the needs of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid, or lack the technologies and organisational structures to meet these needs effectively. Instead, the firms and value chains that are likely to be most successful in these dynamic new markets are those that are emerging in China and India and other developing countries, disrupting global corporate and locational hierarchies of innovation.

Keywords: Science and Technology; Asian drivers; Innovation Systems; Millennium Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B52 D21 F02 F23 F59 L26 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2010/wp2010-020.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:unumer:2010020

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ad Notten ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).