Title: Grassroots ICT4D Innovation
Author: Richard Heeks
Source: ICT4DBlog
Date published: 13/06/2009
Date accessed: 22/06/2009
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Innovation – especially that associated with ICTs – has often held to a rather traditional R&D model, with the innovation being undertaken in laboratories and research centres based in rich, urban locations. Viewed from the perspective of those based in the world’s poor communities this is a top-down, outside-in approach...A common solution to the problems of “laboratory innovation” has been “collaborative innovation”: research outsiders and community insiders working together in some way to develop a new ICT4D application...But the steady diffusion of ICTs and ICT-related skills into poor communities has enabled emergence of a third model. This is “grassroots innovation”: innovation from within the community itself; akin in some ways to the patterns of user-led innovation identified by Eric von Hippel...Where are the grassroots innovations in ICT4D?