This book develops an integrated perspective on the practices and politics of making knowledge work in inclusive development and innovation.

While debates about development and innovation commonly appeal to the authority of academic researchers, many current approaches emphasise the plurality of actors with relevant expertise for addressing livelihood challenges. Adopting an action-oriented and reflexive approach, this volume explores the variety of ways in which knowledge works, paying particular attention to dilemmas and controversies. The six parts of the book address the complex interplay of knowledge and politics, starting with the need for knowledge integration in the first part and decolonial perspectives on the politics of knowledge integration in the second part. The following three parts focus on the practices of inclusive development and innovation through three major themes of learning for transformative change, evidence, and digitisation. The final part of the book addresses the governance of knowledge and innovation in the light of political struggles about inclusivity.

Exploring conceptual and practical themes through case studies from the Global North and South, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners researching and working in development studies, epistemology, innovation studies, science and technology studies, and sustainability studies more broadly.

About the Author

David Ludwig is associate professor in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) group at Wageningen University and the principal investigator of the 'Global Epistemologies and Ontologies' (GEOS) project. He works at the intersection of philosophy and social studies of science with a focus on global negotiations of knowledge diversity.

Birgit Boogaard is postdoc in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) group at Wageningen University, where she teaches courses on African philosophy as well as on social justice, technology, and development. She has an interdisciplinary PhD in Rural Sociology and Animal Science from Wageningen University.

Phil Macnaghten is professor in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) group at Wageningen University. His PhD is from Exeter and he has held appointments at Lancaster, Durham and Campinas before joining Wageningen in 2015. His research background is in science and technology studies (STS) and sociology.

Cees Leeuwis is professor in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation (KTI) group at Wageningen University. He studies processes of socio-technical innovation and transformation, inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, research for development policy, the functioning of innovation support systems, and the role of communication, extension, and brokers therein.

Reviews

"Development pathways are plural and political, as is the knowledge that shapes and contributes to them. Not shirking from the real difficulties and conundra of including diverse perspectives amidst complex dynamics, and deftly weaving theory and practice through a host of real-world examples, this volume helps chart the way. A thoughtful and robust contribution to the burgeoning literature on knowledge in/for development that contests some of its most treasured assumptions." - Melissa Leach, Director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex, UK

"The view that development in the modern world is knowledge driven does not explain the disparities in development across continents, countries and communities. There is contestation around what form of knowledge is essential for inclusive development. Knowledge is not universal and neither are the processes of its generation and application neutral. This book inspires reconstruction of valid knowledge for and rethinking the concept of inclusive development." - Paul Kibwika, Associate Professor, Department of Extension and Innovation Studies, Makerere University, Uganda

Book Information
ISBN 9780367632250
Author David Ludwig
Format Paperback
Page Count 292
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 449g