Understanding responsible innovation in small producers’ clusters in Vietnam through Actor Network Theory (ANT)

J. Voeten, J.A.C. de Haan, N. Roome, G.A. de Groot

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)
911 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Innovation is increasingly recognised as an alternative for poverty alleviation in developing countries. However, cases of innovation in small producers’ clusters in Vietnam imply negative externalities that conflict with today’s notions of sustainable and inclusive development. This article analyses how small producers innovate while taking environmental and social considerations into account through an interactive societal process towards a community network,
conceptualised as responsible innovation. Existing multi-faceted theoretical insights do not provide sufficient basis to construct and test explanations. We apply a grounded theory involving Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to seek explanations as to why some small producers behave opportunistically while others acknowledge responsibility for the negative externalities. ANT enables us to see the critical details of the network creation process including the agenda of the key actors, push and pull factors, the type of innovation and the informal institutional context.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)289-307
Number of pages19
JournalEuropean Journal of Development Research
Volume27
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2015

Keywords

  • Innovation
  • inclusive development
  • clusters
  • Actor-Network Theory
  • Vietnam
  • conflict

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