Evaluating inclusive innovative performance: The case of the eHealth system of the Western Cape Region, South Africa

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical framework for determining the inclusive innovative performance of the eHealth innovation system in the Western Cape region in South Africa. The authors critically reflect on exclusion and inclusion as a process and draws on the innovation systems approach towards developing a possible set of inclusive innovation performance indicators. The inclusive innovation system literature is still in its infancy with most of the contributions being theoretical and conceptual with a lack of empirical work. Apart from being unclear of what such a system would actually look like in reality, there is also a lack of clear methodologies for the analysis of inclusive innovation systems. The analysis method of the Technological Innovation Systems literature was found to be the most appropriate and was adapted in this research. This entails the nature of innovations required; actors involved and the relations among each other; the type of learning they take on; and the institutional environment they are operating in. From the literature an eight step framework was developed as follows: 1) Define the inclusive innovation system in focus; 2) Identify structural components; 3) Identify functions; 4) System failure approach; 5) Inducement and blocking mechanisms; 6) Phase of development; 7) Assessing functionality and setting process goals; 8) Addressing key policy issues. The framework summarizes and sets out the theoretical underpinning for the empirical stage, on which this framework will be applied, to improve the general understanding of the innovative performance of the eHealth innovation system in the Western Cape region in South Africa.