To successfully navigate the challenges of the 21st century and beyond, communities of all sizes need to be able to innovate—to develop and bring into use new and more effective ways of doing things compared to existing practices.
The Local Innovation Group conducts interdisciplinary social science research on processes of local innovation and local systems change in communities facing development challenges around the world.
Our research produces actionable findings, methodological advances, and analytical tools that enable global development actors to deepen their understanding of how local innovation and sociotechnical change processes work, how they contribute to sustainable and equitable development, and how they can be effectively catalyzed, facilitated, and evaluated.
Featured Projects
Adaptive learning and system analysis for JSPVAT
A complexity-informed, system-level evaluation of an agricultural value-chain transformation project ...read more
Inclusive Systems Innovation
Examining processes of inclusive, multi-stakeholder local systems innovation…read more
Innovation Ecosystem Analysis and Strengthening
Identifying opportunities and effective strategies for strengthening local innovation ecosystems…read more
Highlights
Recent Papers
Hoffecker, E., Ramos, F., Adomdza, G, & Frey, D., (2023). Strengthening local innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. The Journal of Entrepreneurship.
Hoffecker, E. (2021) “Understanding inclusive innovation processes in agricultural systems: a middle-range conceptual model.” World Development. 140.
In the News
El modelo busca el desarrollo local, El Periódico, October 2021
MIT receives $15M USAID award to promote research and innovation at universities in Latin America, MIT News, October 2021