Inclusive innovation for the BoP

It's a matter of survival

Bibliographic Data

ID21402765
AuthorsShyama V Ramani (0000-0001-8168-4448, United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology, corresponding author), Suma Athreye (0000-0002-2230-9688), Maximilian Bruder (0000-0003-1208-0119, United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology), Abhijit Sengupta (0000-0002-2450-0208, University of Surrey)
Year2023
Volume194
Pages122666
Publication date2023-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTechnological Forecasting and Social Change (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0040-1625 • E-ISSN: 1873-5509
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122666
OpenAlexW4380633019
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited69

The private sector provision of inclusive product/service innovations to “base of the pyramid” (BoP) communities poses varied challenges to different private sector actors such as multinationals, domestic firms, and non-corporates. There is uncertainty regarding the viability of the BoP approach, that inclusive product innovation creation and diffusion can create “mutual value” by improving the lives of BoP communities, while also generating profit for innovators. Our paper contributes to this ongoing debate by highlighting the conditions under which introduction of inclusive innovations can create mutual value in BoP contexts. A framework mapping out the challenges (or chasms) encountered during the design, production, marketing, adoption, and diffusion phases of the inclusive innovation (DePMAD framework) is developed. It is then validated using 57 published case studies of inclusive product innovations, of which only 44 % of the innovations were still catering to the BoP after six years. QCA and univariate analysis show alternative paths and highlight the key role of partnerships for survival of inclusive innovations in the market. Not all chasms are equally important in explaining survival patterns, with the design and adoption chasms being most critical. Innovations introduced by non-corporate entities survive more often than those by corporate entities

Bottom of the pyramid · Business · Industrial organization · New product development · Product (mathematics) · Value (mathematics) · Computer Science · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Marketing · Open Source Software Innovations · Service and Product Innovation

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Open DOIOpen Access