The evaluation of innovation for inclusive development projects

Date
2017-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Innovation for inclusive development aims to not only produce products and services for base of the pyramid (BoP) markets, but also to improve innovative capacity and empower those in marginalised communities. Although a wide range of actors aim to support innovation for inclusive development, they lack proper methods to assess the impact that these projects have. This study sets out to develop a framework and tool to guide the evaluation of University-driven Technology-based Innovation for Inclusive Development (UTIID) projects in order to evaluate performance, identify weaknesses and classify project outcomes. A systematic literature review is conducted to identify an evaluation approach from the extant literature that may best be able to evaluate UTIID projects. Based on the review, a process-level, innovation system (IS) approach, namely the component-function approach is identified as the most appropriate approach for the evaluation of UTIID projects. This approach is focused on the components within a system and the changes that occur through the interaction of the components in the system functions. An empirical study is conducted on 16 UTIID projects from four different universities in the Western Cape region of South Africa. These case studies are used for several purposes (1) to investigate the current state of monitoring and evaluation in UTIID projects; (2) to map the inputs, outputs and outcomes of these projects in order to construct a typology; and (3) to validate the use of the component-function approach as an UTIID project evaluation approach. The empirical findings reveal that there are no incentives for UTIID projects to perform outcome evaluations. Several inputs, outputs and outcomes were identified for the studied UTIID projects and these were synthesised into a typology. The application of the component-function analytical framework to the 16 UTIID projects indicated that the component-function analytical framework was an effective method to evaluate the system performance, identify system weaknesses and to propose tools to address the systemic weaknesses within UTIID projects. Lastly, the developed typologies and component-function analytical framework are used to assemble an UTIID project evaluation tool that enables the evaluation of UTIID projects at a systems level and classify project outcomes.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inklusiewe innovasie beoog nie net om produkte en dienste aan gemarginaliseerde gemeenskappe en die basis van die piramidemark te verskaf nie, maar ook om hul te bemagtig en kapasitiet vir innovasie te verhoog. Alhoewel innovasie rolspelers daarna streef om inklusiewe innovasie te bevorder, is daar ‘n tekort aan voldoende metodes wat gebruik kan word om die impak van inklusiewe innovasieprojekte te evalueer. Die doel van die studie is om ‘n raamwerk en gereedskap te ontwikkel om innovasie-vir-inklusiewe-ontwikkeling projekte wat deur universiteite geloods word, en spesifiek fokus op tegnologiese innovasie, te evalueer en uitkomstes te klassifiseer. In die studie vewys ons na dié projekte as UTIID projekte. ‘n Sistemiese literatuurstudie is uitgevoer om ‘n evaluasiemetode waarmee UTIID-projekte geëvalueer kan word uit die bestaande literatuur te identifiseer. Die innovasiesisteem “component-function” metode is geïdentifiseer as die mees toepaslike metode. Hierdie metode fokus op die komponente in die sisteem en op die verandering wat plaasvind as gevolg van die interaksie tussen die komponente in die sistemiese funksies. ‘n Empiriese studie is toegepas op 16 UTIID- projekte van vier verskillende universiteite in die Wes-Kaap, Suid Afrika. Die gevallestudies vervul verskeie doelwitte nl. (1) om die kwaliteit van evaluasie in huidige UTIID- projekte vas te stel; (2) om die insette, uitsette en uitkomstes van die projekte te identifiseer en sodoende ‘n tipologie op te stel; en (3) om die gebruik van die “component-function” metode vir die evaluasie vir UTIID- projekte te valideer. Die empiriese bevindinge bewys dat daar geen aansporings is vir UTIID- projekte om uitkoms evaluasies uit te voer nie. ‘n Tipologie is opgestel deur verskillende insette, uitsette en uitkomstes van UTIID- projekte te identifiseer. Die “component-function” is toegepas op 16 UTIID- projekte en daar is gevind dat dit wel ‘n effektiewe metode is om die sisteem te evalueer, swakhede te identifiseer en gereedskap voor te stel om die swakhede aan te spreek. Laastens, is ‘n raamwerk vir die evaluasie van UTIID- projekte voorgestel deur die tipologieë en “componentfunction” metode saam te smelt. Die raamwerk beoog die daarstelling van geskikte evalueringsgereedskap om UTIID- projekte op ‘n sisteemvlak te evalueer en hul uitkomstes te klassifiseer.
Description
Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.
Keywords
Project management -- Methodology -- Evaluation, Technological innovations, UCTD
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