Publisher:
University of East Anglia, The Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), Norwich
Abstract:
Innovation and community action are two important areas of research and policy for sustainable development. Yet these two spheres of activity have not hitherto been linked. This paper builds a case for considering community action as a neglected, but potentially important, site of innovative activity. In so doing, the paper bridges a divide in a way that offers a novel theoretical approach to the study of community-level action for sustainability. It discusses some of the opportunities presented by grassroots innovation, and some of the challenges confronting activity at this level. By conceiving of the grassroots as a niche site for innovation a new agenda for community-level sustainable development research and policy support emerges.