Socio-Entrepreneurial Networks in Frugal Innovation: a Comparison of Female and Male Social Entrepreneurs in an Emerging Market

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The objective of the research is to analyze frugalinnovation ecosystems across the gender divide. In the firstphase of the project (MRes), secondary literature on frugalinnovation and social entrepreneurship will be systemicallyreviewed to select six to eight cases from a wide range ofenterprises. An equal number of cases for females andmales will be drawn with an exploratory case studyanalysis. In the second phase (PhD), a purposive sample of60-80 female and male participants from South Asia will bedrawn from the Global Social Benefit Institute's alumni. Indepthinterviews, face-to-face or online, will be arrangedwith the founders or key decision-makers. In addition,varied sources of evidence (e.g., organizations' records andpublic archives) will be incorporated for triangulation. Thetextual materials will be examined with thematic contentanalysis. Through social network analysis, the actors andtheir interactions will be mapped out to ascertain whichactors and institutions in the ecosystem are crucial, and iffemale and male networks differ. The estimated time ofthe project is four years, including six-week fieldwork inthree countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Bydeveloping a theoretical model that captures the role ofecosystems in frugal innovation processes, the studyexpects to offer significant academic and practicalimplications.