Toward A Theory on the Reproduction of Social Innovations in Subsistence Marketplaces

Laurel Steinfield, Diane Holt · 2019 · Journal of Product Innovation Management

Summary. Social innovations often fail to spread in subsistence contexts despite their potential to address poverty. This paper develops a theory explaining how social innovations get reproduced in sub-Saharan Africa by examining what innovation attributes and actor capacities enable duplication. The authors identify three reproduction archetypes—mimetic, facilitated, and complex—based on the resource and knowledge requirements of innovations versus the capabilities of subsistence users and intermediaries. The framework reveals when users can independently reproduce innovations, when they need external support, and when innovations exceed local capacity.

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@article{steinfield-2019-toward-theory-reproduction-social-innovations,
  title   = {Toward A Theory on the Reproduction of Social Innovations in Subsistence Marketplaces},
  author  = {Laurel Steinfield and Diane Holt},
  journal = {Journal of Product Innovation Management},
  year    = {2019},
  doi     = {10.1111/jpim.12510},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12510}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Toward A Theory on the Reproduction of Social Innovations in Subsistence Marketplaces
AU  - Laurel Steinfield
AU  - Diane Holt
JO  - Journal of Product Innovation Management
PY  - 2019
DO  - 10.1111/jpim.12510
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12510
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1111/jpim.12510

Countries

United States, United Kingdom

Regions

North America, Europe

Categories

innovation-theory, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-28