Digitalization, Frugal Innovation, and Sustainable Development in the Global South

Abstract

This chapter plugs into a wider debate on digitalization and sustainable development in the Global South. Evidence on how digitalization contributes to sustainable development is limited. To address this research gap, we employ the theoretical concept of frugal innovation to identify nuances regarding the opportunities and challenges of frugal digital technology for realizing different Sustainable Development Goals in the Global South. Based on a qualitative case study of Futurepump—a frugal (i.e., simple, affordable, and accessible) version of a smart water pump—we provide empirical evidence on how frugal digital innovation offers opportunities and challenges for development in the Global South obtained from semi-structured in-depth interviews. Our results show nuances regarding different sustainability dimensions, actors (e.g., smallholders, distributors, research institutes, and funders), and the geographical interactions between actors in the Global South and Global North.