Abstract

Grassroots And Frugal Innovation: New PathwaysTowards Sustainability And Social Inclusion In Ecuador. Rev. iberoam. cienc. tecnol. soc. [online]. 2017, vol.12, n.35, pp.131-152. ISSN 1850-0013.

This article explores the notions of frugal and grassroots innovations and their potential to lead towards a more sustainable and social inclusive development. Grassroots or frugal innovation, usually developed under conditions of material and financial scarcity, aspires to solve -in a simple but effective way- problems that affect the lower layers of society. In its first part, this paper introduces the concept of grassroots innovation from a theoretical perspective. Its second part describes the results of an ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Ecuador. The research focuses on four case studies designed to explore the potential of grassroots innovation in Ecuador. Finally, the paper ends with the proposition of a future research agenda and a number of proposals to integrate grassroots innovation in public policy.

Keywords : Frugal innovation; Grassroots innovation; Social inclusion.