UNU-MERIT Working Papers Series
Innovation for the base of the pyramid: Critical perspectives from development studies on heterogeneity and participation
Saurabh Arora & H. Romijn #2009-036This article criticises current BoP approaches for under-appreciating
two issues that play vital roles in projects targeting the poor at the
BoP: heterogeneity among the poor, and the intricacies of participatory
partnerships between TNCs, the non-profit sector (NGOs) and local poor
communities in the global south. Our main contention is that the extant
BoP literature has a naïve view of what working with the poor really
involves, which grossly underestimates adverse power relationships and
disregards the hierarchies between the poor and outsiders who administer
development interventions. To unpack the hidden complexities associated
with heterogeneity and partnership dynamics, we draw on extensive
knowledge from the field of development studies, which has accumulated
key insights about working in and with poorer communities over several
decades.
Keywords: innovation and development, participation, poverty
alleviation, TNCs
JEL codes: I30, M14, O19, O31, O32, Z10
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
ISSN 1871-9872
Download the working paper (PDF)
