A critique of innovation systems perspectives on agricultural research in developing countries

Spielman, David J.

A critique of innovation systems perspectives on agricultural research in developing countries

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Descripción

Innovation systems perspectives on agricultural research and technological change in developing countries are increasingly popular for the study of how society generates, disseminates, and utilizes knowledge. The innovation systems perspective is a significant change from the conventional, linear approach to research and development. It provides an analytical framework that explores complex relationships among diverse actors, social and economic institutions, and technological and institutional opportunities. The perspective also challenges claims that technological change drives social and economic development, suggesting instead that development is driven by the institutional context in which technological change occurs. Recent empirical work has extended the innovation systems approach. It is now being used to study not only national innovation systems in industrialized country manufacturing but also developing country agriculture, shifting the emphasis from a unidirectional technology transfer approach to a more complex, process-based systems approach. This shift in perspective is appropriate for the study of developing country agriculture because it can help policymakers, researchers, research managers, donors, entrepreneurs, and others identify and analyze new ways to encourage innovation. It offers greater insight into the complex relationships between state and non-state actors, processes of institutional learning and change, market and nonmarket institutions, public policy, poverty reduction, and social-economic development.