The challenges of inclusive innovation: three case studies from Peru

In Peru, very few studies have examined inclusion in innovation processes. Under the inclusive innovation approach, the aim of this article is to examine how collaborative decision-making, collective learning and network building contribute to a meaningful involvement of rural communities in innovation processes. We present three case studies of communities in the region of Cusco, Peru that were users of a new energy system that was developed by a university. The findings of this study reveal that limiting the participation of rural communities in key decisions, validating only the scientific knowledge and establishing no connections with other stakeholders, are arrangements that perpetuate the subordinated position of excluded groups. We discuss the importance of evidencing and questioning those institutional arrangements that sustain the inequalities that are meant to be addressed.