Innovation perspectives in international development cooperation: the case of organised civil society

Abstract

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are still in the side-lines of the emerging literature on innovation in international development cooperation. Nevertheless, the topic has been gaining prominence since the 2000s, accompanying the wider transformation of the development cooperation field. This paper presents a) a review of recent literature on the topic, to establish the theoretical background of the empirical research; and b) the results of a mixed methods research that involved a broad geographic sample of 20 NGO national co-ordinating bodies through an online survey and semi-structured interviews. The goal was to map and analyse innovation perspectives, culture, and practices in these organisations, understand their relationship with mainstream views of innovation in the field and uncover their potential to promote inclusive innovation. Results suggest that these actors approach innovation from a social innovation lens that is grounded in social theory, presenting potential to promote inclusive innovation practices. The paper also highlights the key role of information and communications technologies, as well as digital tools, as both a reason to innovate and enablers of innovation in these organisations.