Producing Knowledge to Raise Rural Living Standards: How Universities Connect with Resource-Poor Municipalities in South Africa

Innovation for inclusive rural transformation: the role of the state

“…Here, rural transformation is triggered by the behavioural changes resulting from new knowledge developed through the co-learning process inherent in local Living Labs projects. The inclusive nature of this transformation process go beyond the usual dimensions of being pro-poor and enabling participation, as it puts the end users at the heart of the innovation process by involving them as co-creators (see also Jacobs et al 2019). State support in the form of providing co-learning incentives and facilitating the expansion of human capital was a key driver for the success of these transformative projects.…”

“…Shyama Ramani's analysis of the various difficulties encountered in the adoption and subsequent abandonment of many of the innovative toilets installed in a rural district of Tamil Nadu underscores once more the importance of participation of end users in marginalized communities in the design of innovations meant to meet their needs (Petersen et al 2016;Jacobs et al 2019). Her paper addresses the critical issue of open defecation in India, as a thorny problem of social inclusion in rural transformation.…”

Innovation and the Public Service: Facilitating Inclusive Industrial and Social Development

“…The shift into entrepreneurship is linked to a broader reorientation away from high-tech and large-firm innovation. This has been driven by a growing inequality and skills gap in many countries (Bhorat et al 2020); recognition of the importance of informal, local, co-creation and user-oriented innovation practices (Ndabeni et al 2016;Senyolo et al 2018;Hart et al 2020;Jacobs et al 2019;Kraemer-Mbula et al 2019); and a concern about the potential harm to people and the environment that is and will be caused by emerging technologies (Schillo & Robinson 2017).…”

“…This is especially relevant to historically disadvantaged universities located in marginalised and rural areas of the country which see their local knowledge and credibility as an opportunity to attract public, private and nongovernmental partners to work on development issues. There is also increasing awareness and application of more formal models of engagement which guide researchers towards, hopefully, authentic and sustainable co-creation of new ways of addressing local challenges; as well as in enrolling and embedding university cooperation in local municipality and provincial government plans and activities (Jacobs et al 2019). How universities go about developing 'interaction capabilities' is likely to vary.…”

“…To expand the reach of incubators to underserved areas -as done by TIH with its eKasi Labs programme, the Smaller Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and the Technology Innovation Agency's (TIA) IID -there is a heavy dependence on accessing or building facilities and engaging local youth, women or business associations for the identification and enrolment of participants; often in partnership with local municipalities (SAnews 2020; Eyewitness News 2016). In this role incubator staff need political, policy and administrative skills to navigate a somewhat complex inter-governmental relations environment, and then deliver on outputs (Jacobs et al 2019).…”