Title: A Quick Guide to Development and Humanitarian Innovation
Author: Ian Gray
Date: 2016
Length: 4 pages
Resource type: PDF report
Summary:
There are numerous interpretations of what constitutes innovation. The World Bank has perhaps the easiest one to apply to the development sector. ‘Simply put, innovation is finding and applying new approaches to address existing problems or serve unmet needs.’
The issues facing those living in poverty and vulnerable to disasters and conflict are becoming ever more complicated. The finances to address these issues are insufficient. These problems are sometimes referred to as ‘Wicked Problems.’ However, there are also large technological and scientific advances that have the potential to find solutions for some of these wicked problems. This means that there is a need for organisations working in the fields of development and humanitarian action to continually see if there are better solutions to the problems they are working with local communities to address.