PhD defence by Maria Alejandra Pineda Escobar

Bringing the strands of management and development studies literature into closer dialogue, Maria Alejandra Pineda Escobar provides a more nuanced understanding of the various characteristics that typify a frugal innovation and calls for the addition of a socio-cultural and user-oriented perspective in frugal innovation research and practice.

While frugal products, services, processes and business models do have the potential to contribute to sustainable development, Pineda Escobar argues that frugal innovations are not inherently sustainable. She maintains that an adequate consideration of local contextual conditions is essential for the appropriateness, responsiveness and legitimacy of frugal innovations. Her work proposes two frameworks for the identification of frugal innovation and for the assessment of its relation to sustainability, offering practical tools for researchers and practitioners alike.

Doctoral Board

Chair

Professor Inge Hutter

Doctoral dissertation supervisors

• Professor Peter Knorringa
• Dr Georgina Gomez

Full Doctoral Committee

• Professor Soumodip Sarkar, University of Évora
• Dr Marleen Wierenga, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Dr Stelvia Matos, University of Surrey
• Dr Taslim Alade, Rotterdam School of Management
• Professor Irene van Staveren, ISS