Diffusion of innovations

About: Diffusion of innovations is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 191397 citations. The topic is also known as: diffusion of innovation & diffusion of innovations theory.

Applying the model of diffusion of innovations to understand facilitators for the implementation of maternal and neonatal health programmes in rural Uganda

Abstract: In Uganda, more than 336 out of every 100,000 women die annually during childbirth. Pregnant women, particularly in rural areas, often lack the financial resources and means to access health facilities in a timely manner for quality antenatal, delivery, and post-natal services. For nearly the past decade, the Makerere University School of Public Health researchers, through various projects, have been spearheading innovative interventions, embedded in implementation research, to reduce barriers to access to care. In this paper, we describe two of projects that were initially conceived to tackle the financial barriers to access to care – through a voucher program in the community - on the demand side - and a series of health systems strengthening activities at the district and facility level - on the supply side. Over time, the projects diverged in the content of the intervention and the modality in which they were implemented, providing an opportunity for reflection on innovation and scaling up. In this short report, we used an adaptation of Greenhalgh’s Model of Diffusion to reflect on these projects’ approaches to implementing innovative interventions, with the ultimate goal of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in rural Uganda. We found that the adapted model of diffusion of innovations facilitated the emergence of insights on barriers and facilitators to the implementation of health systems interventions. Health systems research projects would benefit from analyses beyond the implementation period, in order to better understand how adoption and diffusion happen, or not, over time, after the external catalyst departs.

Understanding Multi-Stage Diffusion Process in Presence of Attrition of Potential Market and Related Pricing Policy

Abstract: In the marketing literature, the concern of researchers for the study of diffusion of innovations is longstanding. The reason being it helps the manager in better understanding and predicting the penetration of innovation among the potential buyers. It has also been proved from past research that there is a definite time delay between the reception of information and the final adoption of a new technological product. Nevertheless, not all well-informed individuals will become eventual adopters because an informed customer will make a purchase decision only if the person is contented with the awareness he/she has received. This article investigates the implications of the informed and uninterested potential adopters using the three-stage structure of the diffusion process. Furthermore, an important aspect that influences the growth and long-term profit for the manufacturer; price has been incorporated into the modeling framework where a pricing policy with maximum expected profit for a new product in a multi-stage diffusion model is proposed. The problem is modeled as an optimal control problem. Further, the formulated model is justified by fitting it on different past sales datasets. The relevance of the developed model is illustrated by a numerical example.

Generative Diffusion of Innovations and Knowledge Networks in Open Source

Abstract: In this study, we conceptualize an open source community as a constellation of dynamic, multiple and heterogeneous informal knowledge networks. Generative artifact, open source software in our context, is embedded in multiple knowledge networks. Therefore, generative diffusion of innovation will be affected by these networks. We identify two types of knowledge networks, developer-project network and developer-developer network, which a developer can simultaneously belongs to. We argue that the two networks emphasized on different types of knowledge transfer, and have different effects on the generative diffusion of innovation. We propose our hypotheses and methodology to test our hypotheses. We also discuss future plan and expected contributions.

Locating research in agricultural innovation trajectories: Evidence and implications from empirical cases from South Asia

Abstract: Agricultural innovation is a process that takes a multitude of different forms, and, within this process, agricultural research and expertise are mobilised at different points in time for different purposes. This paper uses two key analytical principles to establish how research is actually put into use. The first, which concerns the configurations of organisations and their relationships associated with innovation, reveals the additional set of resources and expertise that research needs to be married to, and sheds light on the types of arrangements that allow this marriage to take place. The second, which concerns understanding innovation as a path-dependent, contextually shaped trajectory unfolding over time, reveals the changing role of research during the course of events associated with the development and diffusion of products, services and institutional innovations. This paper examines the efforts of the Research Into Use programme funded by the UK Department for International Development that sought to explore the agricultural research-into-use question empirically.

The implementation of urban sustainability strategies: theoretical and methodological implications for researching behaviour change

Abstract: Implementing urban sustainability strategies has proven to be difficult. This paper aims at developing a holistic understanding of the urban sustainability concept with the help of a conceptual model, as well as offering a framework for understanding and researching the implementation of urban sustainability strategies. Here, individual behaviour change is understood as one of the main objectives of such strategies. Through a conceptual model, four types of opposing and sometimes contradictory relationships are identified: (1) between global aims and local implementation, (2) between institutional pressure and the behaviour of individuals, (3) between strategic measures and personal consequences and (4) between attitudes and behaviour. These relationships are discussed in order to illustrate stalling factors in urban sustainability implementation. Looking at behaviour change as a major goal of urban sustainability implementation, several social and individual behavioural theories are reviewed in order to construct a holistic and a compound model of the dynamics of behavioural change. By revealing a dual implementation process, consisting of provision on one side and choice on the other, we demarcate several important aspects for realising and researching urban sustainability strategies and their effectiveness. A more holistic way of assessing and monitoring the implementation of urban sustainability strategies is also proposed. The paper argues that rather than looking at the changes in the urban population’s behaviour as a result, we must view them as an internal and essential sub-concept of urban sustainability.