When Local Isn’t Global:

How Approaches to Healthcare Innovation in Low Resource Contexts Can Inform Changemaker Education

Authors

  • Rebecca Obounou Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Wiljeana Glover, Ph.D. Babson College

Keywords:

changemaker, social innovation, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, global health, business model innovation, service innovation

Abstract

While research on how healthcare organizations implement innovations exists, less scholarship describes how organizational origins influence innovation choices. A multi-year and multi-organizational study on the healthcare system in Repiblik Ayiti (Haiti) was conducted from 2017 to 2021. The study reveals a consistent difference between the arc of the journey of the foreign-funded healthcare ventures versus that of the locally-founded healthcare ventures. We find that origin (local vs. foreign-founded) can influence the pace and sequence of innovation. Both approaches are needed to address gaps in access to care at the bottom of the pyramid. This article examines how context informs the innovation approach and how our findings may influence curricula and program development for social innovation and entrepreneurship educators.

Author Biographies

Rebecca Obounou, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Rebecca Obounou, Assistant Dean, Social Innovation, Public Service Center (PKG Center), Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship (KMH Center), Network for Engaged International Donors (NEID), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Wiljeana Glover, Ph.D., Babson College

Wiljeana Glover, Founding Faculty Director, Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship (KMH Center), Babson College 

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Published

2023-01-25

How to Cite

Obounou, R., & Glover, W. (2023). When Local Isn’t Global:: How Approaches to Healthcare Innovation in Low Resource Contexts Can Inform Changemaker Education. Social Innovations Journal, 16(1). Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/5376