Development today and how innovation may help build a better path for the future

Erika Kraemer-Mbula

Chapter 16 in A Research Agenda for Innovation and Development, 2026, pp 238-252 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: A primary concern of this chapter is that prevailing development trajectories exacerbate inequalities and deepen ecological crises. From a technological standpoint, the power of high-income countries marginalises the Global South, including the lack of recognition and, concomitantly, the measurement of innovative activities that are central to their problem-solving dynamics, as informal, grassroots, frugal, circular/regenerative, and indigenous innovation. Although innovation is generally considered positive, its prevailing patterns frequently reinforce negative trends associated with short-term growth that exacerbate extractive productive patterns, usually accompanied by a noticeable degradation of populations’ well-being. Innovation needs to be reoriented in relation to the directionality of its ends and means. The concept of “good innovation” is proposed and characterised; “wrong” directions are considered; normative tests for “goodness” that attend to directionality, distribution, and ecological integrity are put forward. The institutional setting is scrutinised, looking for alternatives regarding who sets priorities and which interests are privileged. Alternative measurement methods to appreciate innovation are proposed.

Keywords: Alternative Development Trajectories; Good Innovations; Circular; Regenerative Innovations; Directionalities of Innovation; Innovation Measurement Methods; Institutional Settings Alternatives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035344338
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