Systemic policy instruments for inclusive innovation systems: Case study of a maternal mHealth project in South Africa

Abstract

Innovation for inclusive development refers to the development of products and services for and/or by marginalized communities with the aim of improved economic and social welfare. Innovation systems present a framework for analyzing actors, institutions, interlinkages and societal subsystems that contribute to the emergence of innovation for inclusive development. However, the innovation system framework requires a re-orientation as an analytical tool to 1) support a systematic process towards identifying barriers to inclusiveness 2) systematically define the root cause of systemic problems or barriers for innovation for inclusive development, and finally, 3) to provide a framework against which to formulate systemic policy interventions that systematically enhance the environment for innovation for inclusive development.