Inclusive innovation editorial: The promise of inclusive innovation

Abstract

Innovation is an elusive concept that is widely viewed as a panacea for economic renewal. Public-sector institutions invest heavily in innovation even as private-sector actors and interests dominate innovation policy and its rewards, especially at the local scale. But in a moment when planners and policy makers are under pressure to promote economic inclusion, we must also ponder the prospects for innovation to be inclusive and equitable. In this opening editorial to this special issue on “Inclusive Innovation,” we sketch out a tentative vision for “inclusive innovation” beginning with the problems that can lead innovation to instead be exclusive and unequal. We conclude by summarizing the contributions of the authors to this special issue, which underscore not only the diverse dimensions of inclusive innovation but also the critical importance of policy-led institutions to facilitate this goal.