Santiago Garrido

Theoretical and policy failures in technologies and innovation for social inclusion: the cases of social housing, renewal energy and food production in Argentina

The relationship between technology, innovation and social inclusion has recently acquired new relevance in social development forums and institutions. Nowadays it is possible to find a diversity of new concepts, approaches and initiatives of inclusive innovation. However, it is not clear how to avoid the failures of previous experiences in the development of technology for social inclusion. Two kinds of common failures in Latin America can be identified as theoretical and policy failures. The former is mainly based on the use of linear models of innovation and old technology transfer conceptions that tend to reduce poverty and social exclusion to a technical problem. The latter is associated with this problem but also adds the difficulties of lack of human resources, discontinuity of funding, and inability of social development institutions to conceive or sustain long-term strategies based on learning improvements. The chapter works on cases from Argentina in the areas of social housing, renewal energy and food production in order to understand: 1) what kinds of theoretical problems practitioners face; 2) how practitioners recognize the limitations and failures of their approaches and policies; and 3) what kinds of strategies practitioners attempt to implement to overcome these emerging issues.

Farming together, learning together, and improving together: the socio-technical trajectory of the development of the inter-cooperative fish-farming projects in Argentina

ABSTRACT Through the second half of the twentieth century, within both developed and underdeveloped countries, several social movements sought to produce technological alternatives in order to encourage the development of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive dynamics. In last two decades, different international agencies encouraged the development of pro-poor aquaculture projects among small rural producers, in order to reduce poverty. However, in many cases, they exhibit limitations in terms of infrastructure; deficient services; troubles to get supplies and financial sources; and poor organization. Solving these limitations represents a big technological and cognitive challenge, but the public policies implemented were inspired by mainstream models of innovation with poor results. This paper aims to analyse how these key actors, such as cooperatives, can strengthen inclusive innovation and local development processes. It asks the following question: How cooperative rationalities can operate in inclusive innovative dynamics?