ANALYSIS OF GRASSROOTS INNOVATION PRACTICE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

Grassroots innovation is an activity that uses multiple resources or indigenous technology to create an innovation more creatively. The innovations are often utilised to improvise the community and environment. The invented product or process is created at the bottom of the pyramid due to necessities, difficulties, and challenges. Malaysia thrives to become a high income developed nation through several initiatives, such as lifelong learning and innovation. Malaysians are encouraged to undertake education programmes to enhance knowledge and skills. These grassroots activities need to be discovered as they affect income and social values. The local grassroots innovators have difficulty commercialising the innovations due to a lack of skills, knowledge, and technology. This study aimed to identify the grassroots innovations, the process in developing innovation, and complement the innovation towards commercialisation. Local innovators adapt to the new product development process as a mutual understanding and for grassroots sustainable development.

Social innovation and austerity governance in Athens and Madrid: Rethinking the changing contours of policy and practice

The notion of social innovation (SI) has received significant attention in academic debates and policy, denoting the potential for bottom-up and ‘bottom-linking’ sociospatial transformations and solutions to societal challenges in times of crises. This article takes on a critical approach to how SI is being employed in institutional channels and urban policy, by suggesting a reconceptualization of the different dimensions or forms it may acquire in the context of austerity governance. The article engages with case studies of policy initiatives developed in the cities of Athens and Madrid in the post-economic crisis period, in order to contribute to a new line of investigation into how policy through the ‘co-paradigm’ reconfigures the meaning and practice of SI, by tapping into the innovative dynamic of the civil society. It then critically evaluates the possibilities and limitations for grassroots innovations to influence urban governance in an era of austerity.

Frugal Innovation Hijacked: The Co-optive Power of Co-creation

In this paper we investigate how different discourses on frugal innovation are articulated, and how the dynamics between these different discourses have led to a certain dominant understanding of frugal innovation today. We analyse the dynamic interactions between three discourses on frugal innovation: (1) innovations for the poor, (2) grassroots innovations by the poor, and more recently (3) co-creating frugal innovations with the poor. We argue that this latter discourse is articulated as a hegemonic project as it is designed to accommodate demands from both business and poor communities. We draw on Laclau and Mouffe’s concepts of ‘chain of difference’, ‘empty signifier’ and ‘floating signifier’ to explain the advent of the hegemonic discourse on co-creating innovations with the poor. We show how a floating signifier with radical potential, frugal innovation, has been hijacked and co-opted in a hegemonic project that has leveraged powerful ambiguous signifiers, with co-creation acting as an empty signifier. To clarify what is problematic in this hegemonic intervention, we expose how contemporary frugal innovation discourse contributes to a project of governing and exploiting rather than helping the poor, in ways that benefit formal economic actors while further worsening global inequalities.

Narratives of Socioecological Transition

This article explores narratives and characteristics of sociological transitions displayed by members of the Transition Network (TN) in Portugal. It is informed by scholarly work on grassroots innovations, sociological transition narratives, and environmental engagement in Portugal. It furthers this research in three ways: (1) it analyzes an original case study—the Portuguese TN; (2) it identifies and defines the various socioecological narratives conveyed by its participants; and (3) it interprets the TN’s sociopolitical appeal as a grassroots innovation in the context of environmental mobilization in Portugal. Drawing on 20 semistructured interviews with current and former members of the Portuguese TN, three narratives of sociological transition were identified—utopianism, inevitability, and pessimism—as well as seven characteristics that motivated interviewees’ engagement with the TN.

Driving Inclusiveness from the Grassroots: The Tambunan Inventors

Reviews of recent studies indicated the growing importance of development and attainment of inclusive societies via inclusive innovations. This is especially relevant for addressing the disenfranchised or those at the base of the economic pyramid (BOP). Gaps in the literature pointed to; l) the need for understanding of inclusive innovation processes among small, medium and micro enterprises vis-à-vis among local entrepreneurs, ll) there is a lack of studies on inclusive innovation movement in Malaysia. Specifically under the SME Masterplan 2012-2020, there are a number of high impact programmes defined to drive numerous aims. Specifically, for driving inclusive innovation among Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, the High Impact Programme 6 (HIP6) is designed with the focus on development of grassroots innovations. In order to get some insights, case studies were carried out among participants of the HIP6. Cases were recommended by the lead agency entrusted with the implementation of the initiative. Among the cases, a cluster in the area of Tambunan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia was identified. Thus, this paper presents the cases of the Tambunan grassroots inventors.

PUBLIC GOOD THEORY: A THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PERMISSIVE LICENSE TO USE AND RE-USE ORPHAN WORKS

This paper explores the adoption of Paul Samuelson’s Public Good Theory as a theoretical justification for a permissive licensing scheme enabling the use, and re-use orphan works in Malaysia. Orphan works are copyright-protected works with unlocatable or unidentified right holders, and are currently on the rise due to the proliferation of unregistered, anonymous, and abandoned copyright works. The literature denotes the challenges arising from the difficulty faced by potential users in obtaining the permission for creative and innovative use of orphan works as required under Copyright law. Such challenges impede the potential use and re-use of orphan works for the purpose of knowledge dissemination, progress in the arts, preservation and digitisation activities. This paper contributes to the current body of knowledge by canvassing two important issues. The first issue focuses on the challenges faced by potential users to use and re-use orphan works in Malaysia. The second is Paul Samuelson’s Public Good as a theoretical justification for permissive license to use and re-use orphan works. It is anticipated that a legislative reform grounded on Paul Samuelson’s Public Good Theory will spur grassroots innovations, creativity and entrepreneurialism among members of the public. The permissive licensing scheme supports global calls for legislative reform of copyright law to facilitate the use and reuse of orphan works.