Standardisation and Frugal Innovation

Standards are an essential part of contemporary economies: they encourage trade, facilitate international consensus, safeguard health and the environment, and disseminate valuable information and knowledge. However, while the WTO encourages the national adoption of international standards in this regard, standards can be perceived as barriers to trade in the context of developing countries. This thesis studies the effect of standards and standardisation (the development of standards) on frugal innovations in developing countries. Frugal innovation is a relatively new discourse of innovation that arises within constraints, meeting the needs of people living under these same constraints. It aims for affordability, sustainability and quality, all at the same time. A case study of two frugal innovations in developing countries tests the hypothesis that better developed national standard capabilities within a country positively affect the diffusion of frugal innovation. Although the evidence cannot fully support this hypothesis, the analysis emphasises the importance of institutions such as standardisation for frugal innovations and for developing countries.