With the rise of a global economy and the growing importance of emerging markets, socioeconomic and environmental issues are becoming the main driving forces for many innovation practitioners. As a result of the recognition that traditional ways of managing innovation are not sustainable and that more inclusive and accessible efforts are needed, the exploration of frugal approaches to innovation has emerged. Startups that apply frugal innovation have the potential to stimulate sustainable growth and reduce development gaps between less developed and developed countries. Yet, given their specific context, many startups face difficulties to commercialize technologies and scale to new markets. There is a need to understand how to support startups and entrepreneurs to scale up in their early stages as a means to drive sustainable growth in emergent economies. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate what factors influence frugal innovation-based startups’ potential to accelerate (economic, environmental, and social) sustainable development. To understand the influencing factors, an investigation of the barriers and enablers to scale up as well as the entrepreneurial behaviors in relation to their social settings, is necessary. Literature within frugal innovation was reviewed and a study was performed in Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa is a relevant research area for frugal innovation since startups have the potential to leverage resources of the high-income market to solve large problems in lowincome communities (i.e. informal settings or townships). In-depth interviews were conducted with startup representatives and stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The study revealed that due to the entrepreneurs’ background, they have the ability to understand customer needs and influence mindset change. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurs are dependent on social support, because they often lack self-advocacy, skills, and resources required to scale up. The importance of democratizing digital technologies as well as leverage entrepreneurial ecosystems was highlighted. The author also suggests further discussions on how sustainable impact is assessed as well as the role of power dynamics within entrepreneurial ecosystems. / I linje med utvecklingen av att den globala ekonomin och den ökade vikten av tillväxtmarknader har socioekonomiska och miljörelaterade faktorer blivit en central drivkraft för många innovationsutövare. Från vetskapen att de traditionella sätten att hantera innovation inte är hållbara och att mer inkluderande och tillgängliga processer krävs, har appliceringen av frugala tillvägagångssätt av innovation uppkommit. Startups som tillämpar frugal innovation har potential att stimulera hållbar tillväxt och minska utvecklingsgapen mellan mindre utvecklade och utvecklade länder. Dock, givet deras unika kontext, har många startups svårt att kommersialisera teknik och skala upp till nya marknader. Följaktligen, finns det behov att förstå hur man kan stödja entreprenörer och startups att skala upp i tidigt skede för att driva hållbar utveckling i tillväxtmarknader. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar frugala innovationsbaserade startups möjligheter att accelerera (ekonomisk, ekologisk och social) hållbar utveckling. För att förstå de influerande faktorerna är det nödvändigt att undersöka hinder och möjliggörare till att skala upp samt entreprenörernas beteende i förhållande till deras sociala kontext. Litteratur inom Frugal innovation granskades och en fältstudie utfördes i Kapstaden, Sydafrika. Sydafrika är ett relevant forskningsområde för frugal innovation eftersom startups har möjlighet att utnyttja höginkomstmarknadens resurser för att lösa stora problem inom låginkomstmarknaden. Fördjupade intervjuer genomfördes med startups representanter och intressenter inom entreprenöriella ekosystem. Studien avslöjade att på grund av entreprenörernas bakgrund har de en unik förmåga att förstå den informella marknadens behov och möjlighet att influera nya tänkesätt. Samtidigt är entreprenörerna beroende av socialt stöd på grund av brist på kompetenser, kunskaper och resurser nödvändiga för att skala upp. Därav belystes vikten av att demokratisera digital teknik samt utnyttja entreprenöriella ekosystem. Författaren föreslår också ytterligare diskussioner om hur hållbarhetskrav mäts samt maktdynamikens roll inom entreprenöriella ekosystem.

The world is facing severe and complex issues and the sustainable development challenges are immense. In order to meet the challenges, social innovation is crucially needed. Developing social innovation is however challenging and collaboration among stakeholders is an important factor to overcome this. A way to collaborate with citizens is with citizen co-creation. The aim of this study was to investigate how citizen co-creation is used as a mean to achieve social innovation. This was done by investigating the research questions “Which factors have a positive impact on the citizen co-creation process to achieve social innovation?“ and “What are the challenges of using citizen co-creation to achieve social innovation and what are the potential solutions?”. Literature within social innovation and citizen co-creation was reviewed and a case study was performed. The case study was executed in Medellin, Colombia, together with a public entity working with the transformation of the city. A program for a citizen co-creation process called MiMedellin was studied. Interviews were performed with team members working with the program and stakeholders involved in a specific project. Secondary data regarding type of challenges and the citizens behaviour on the platform was also analysed in order to confirm information collected in the interviews. This master’s thesis revealed a strong link between citizen co-creation and social innovation. The ways to work in citizen co-creation align with key factors in the social innovation process and citizen co-creation is therefore a mean to achieve social innovation. Factors with a positive impact in the citizen co-creation process were found to be related to ways to work, methods for citizen participation and leadership. Challenges of achieving social innovation with citizen co-creation were found to be related to trust, engagement and the complexity of the process. This master’s thesis suggests ways to overcome the challenges as well as gives practical and theoretical implications and areas for future research. / Världen står inför stora svårigheter med enorma globala utmaningar. För att möta de utmaningarna är social innovation avgörande. Att utveckla sociala innovationer är däremot komplext och samarbete mellan intressenter ses som en viktig faktor för att övervinna detta. Ett sätt att involvera medborgare i samarbetet är genom citizen co-creation. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur citizen co-creation används som ett medel för att uppnå social innovation, genom att undersöka följande forskningsfrågor: “Vilka faktorer har en positiv inverkan på citizen co-creation processen för att uppnå sociala innovation?” och “Vilka utmaningar finns med att använda citizen co-creation för att uppnå social innovation och vilka är de potentiella lösningarna? Litteratur inom social innovation och citizen co-creation granskades och en fallstudie genomfördes. Studien genomfördes i Medellin i Colombia tillsammans med en statlig organisation som arbetar med transformation av staden. Ett program för en citizen co-creation process som kallas MiMedellin studerades. Intervjuer genomfördes med gruppmedlemmar inom programmet och intressenterna som deltog i ett specifikt projekt. Sekundärdata för tidigare utmaningar och medborgares beteende på plattformen analyserades även för att bekräfta information som samlats in i intervjuerna. Denna masteruppsats avslöjade en stark koppling mellan citizen co-creation och social innovation. Arbetssättet inom citizen co-creation går väl samman med nyckelfaktorer i processen att utveckla sociala innovationer. På det sättet är citizen co-creation ett medel för att uppnå sociala innovationer. Faktorer med en positiv inverkan på citizen co-creation processen var kopplade till sätt att arbeta, metoder att involvera medborgare och ledarskap. Utmaningar med att uppnå sociala innovation med citizen co-creation var kopplade till tillit, engagemang och processens komplexitet. Denna masterupssats föreslår sätt att möta utmaningarna och ger även praktiska och teoretiska implikationer samt områden för framtida forskning.

Marginalisering gällande tillgång till elektricitet utgör en betydande utmaning i avlägsna områden i Peru. Elnätets stabilitet är låg och detta utgör ett hot mot viktig infrastruktur såsom sjukhus och vårdcentraler. Enligt Världshälsoorganisationen förloras 50 % av alla vacciner världen över på grund av felaktig hantering där strömavbrott är en viktig del av problemet. Syftet med denna studie var att öka energitåligheten hos ett medicinskt center i Talara i norra Peru. För att uppnå detta mål utfördes teknisk dimensionering av ett avbrottsfritt strömförsörjningssystem (UPS) bestående av solceller och batterier. Två kvalitativa intervjuer med en eldistributör i norra Peru och en tillsynsmyndighet gjordes för att fördjupa kunskapen om vilka utmaningar som finns gällande elnätets tillförlitlighet. Två scenarier utvärderades i dimensioneringen av UPS systemet. Scenario 1 presenterar den ursprungliga planen av EcoSwell som inkluderar all utrustning som var avsedd att strömförsörjas av UPS systemet, medan scenario 2 är en reducerad version av scenario 1 för att minska de totala kostnaderna. För scenario 1 kommer totalt 36 batterier och 48 solceller att krävas för att försörja all utrustning med energi. I scenario 2 kommer 20 batterier och 24 solceller att behövas. OMP Solar blev den utvalda leverantören av solceller och batterier och den totala kostnaden för installation och all extrautrustning är 66 713,98 S/ (184 036 SEK). Det uppskattades att 37 % och 17 % för scenario 1 respektive 2 av den totala energianvändningen vid vårdcentralen kommer att utgöras utav UPS systemet. / Marginalization in terms of electricity access presents a significant challenge in remote areas in Peru. The resilience of the electric grid is low, and this presents a threat to important infrastructure such as hospitals and medical centers. According to the World Health Organization, 50% of vaccines worldwide are wasted due to improper handling in which power cuts is a major problem. The aim of this study was to increase the energy resilience of a medical center located in Talara in northern Peru. In pursuit of this aim, technical sizing of an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system consisting of photovoltaic modules and lead-acid gel batteries was done. Two qualitative interviews with an electricity distributor in northern Peru and a supervisory authority was made to deepen the knowledge of what challenges exist regarding the reliability of the electric grid.  Two scenarios were evaluated in the sizing of the UPS. Scenario 1 presents the original plan by EcoSwell including all equipment that was intended to be powered up by the UPS, while scenario 2 is a reduced version of scenario 1 to decrease overall costs. For scenario 1 a total of 36 batteries and 48 solar modules will be required to power up all equipment. In scenario 2, 20 batteries and 24 solar modules will be required. OMP Solar was the chosen provider of solar modules and batteries and the total cost for installation and all auxiliary equipment is 66 713,98 S/ (184 036 SEK). It was estimated that 37% and 17% for scenario 1 and 2 respectively of the total energy usage at the medical center will be from the UPS.

Sustainable development as our joint global goal is consensus in the mainstream international arena, in the name of long-term well-being for all living creatures. However economic constraints often limit the choices available to local communities, forcing them to make trade-offs between immediate socioeconomic gains and the long-term sustainability of natural resources. Thus, economic interests parallel with biodiversity conservation create difficult positionings for individuals, which becomes even clearer in developing areas and biodiversity hotspots. Despite this conflict of interest, there is currently insufficient empirical evidence on how communities on microlevels – in areas of both environmental and developmental interests – understand and reason about this potential dilemma. A discrepancy between assumptions and empirics motivates an investigation of discourses from local perspectives. This thesis will therefore highlight local development and environmental discourses of forest and land use. The region of North Sumatra, Indonesia, functions as a paradigmatic case study on how community members reason who are appointed to two forceful narratives – resource extraction and biodiversity conservation. Through conducting semi-structured interviews and using discourse analysis, two environmental discourses and four development discourses were identified in the local understandings of forest and land use. This gives us indications of how the jungle is understood and valued from a bottom-up perspective. Exploring local perspectives of land use is essential for informed decision-making, promoting sustainable development, ensuring social equity, and fostering community engagement. Further research on the relationship and interactions between local communities and the natural world is called upon.

Although much research has been conducted on the association between poverty and happiness, little is known about its mediators and moderators. Thus, our understanding of how – and the conditions under which -- poverty affects happiness is imprecise. This study assessed stress as a mediator of the negative association between poverty and happiness using a sample of 345 farmers and fish farmers living in Ghana. Further, Psychological Capital (PsyCap, consisting of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-confidence) was examined as a two-stage moderator of the poverty-happiness relationship, as mediated by stress. There was no support for the stage 1 moderation, and while there was support for stage 2 moderation, it was in a direction opposite from what was hypothesized (for overall PsyCap and PsyCapF2). The negative moderation at stage 2 suggests that PsyCap (overall and PsyCap2) is associated with a weakening of an unexpected positive association between stress and happiness. PsyCapF2, appears to reflect agency or general self-efficacy. Although the hypothesized model was not supported this study has provided insights into how future research of Ghanaians might be better designed. It also has shown that the positive PsyCap-happiness relationship found in several Western samples is replicable among Ghanaian farmers, a collectivist and highly religious community. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The aim of this project is to investigate the current situation of plastics waste management on the island Zanzibar in Tanzania. To investigate this, a field study was carried out during two months on site on Zanzibar. The field studies consisted of practical experiences, interviews and gathered impressions to get an overview. These methods were complemented by researched parameters, estimations, and calculations, which summarised yielded the results. The results were presented regarding the overall waste management system, flows of plastics, and challenges. The results led to a discussion where possible improvements were presented. The study concluded that the current situation for waste management is unsustainable, but the possibilities for improvements and a sustainable future are many. / Med målsättning att behandla några av målen för Agenda 2030 och hållbar utveckling, utfördes fältstudier finansierade genom Sidas stipendium för Minor Field Studies. Kritisk plasthantering är ett faktum i många delar av världen. Tanzania uppskattas ha en misskötsel av plastavfallshantering på 84 procent av total hanterad volym. Fältstudien undersökte därför situationen kopplad till avfallshantering på ön Zanzibar i Tanzania under två sammanhängande månader. Syftet med studien var att undersöka systemen för den allmänna avfallshanteringen, kartlägga flöden av plast på ön och identifiera utmaningar. Fältstudierna genomfördes genom praktiserande av avfallsuppsamling och sortering av plast, informella intervjuer samt egeninsamlade intryck och upplevelser. Dessa data kompletterades med en mindre litteraturstudie för att hitta relevanta parametrar nödvändiga för beräkningar och uppskattningar. Metoderna genererade resultat som kunde presenteras i termer av systemen för avfallshantering, flöden av plast på Zanzibar med uppskattade och beräknade mängder samt de utmaningar man upplever och står inför. Utifrån dessa resultat kunde möjliga förbättringsförslag presenteras med avseende på retursystem, återvinning och energiaspekter. Från studien drogs slutsatsen att Zanzibars situation för avfallshantering är ohållbar, men att möjligheterna till förbättring och en hållbar framtid är många.

During the recent prolonged drought in La Guajira, Colombia, the child mortality rate surged to 23.4 per 1000. With the focal point in rural Alta Guajira, a lack of rainfall and wind resulted in an acute potable water scarcity. This paper presents data gathered from interviews conducted with members of the Wayúu indigenous group residing in Alta Guajira and the results surveying in field the solutions already present to the water scarcity. Four potential technological solutions were then devised and evaluated in this context: wind-driven wells, solar-driven wells, solar stills, and reverse osmosis desalination systems. This study shows that reverse osmosis desalination systems are economically unfeasible due to their high initial investment. Solar stills are concluded to be potentially viable for drought emergencies but prohibitively expensive due to their low productivity and area requirements. Solar-driven wells frequently break in the region, likely due to inadequate insulation in underground electrical components, but they represent a crucial yet non-existent complement for water production. Wind-driven wells are the most prominent water source, although relying solely on these creates significant risks. Hence a suggestion for mainly wind-driven production, complemented with solar-driven production, and backed by emergency systems of manual wells and solar stills is suggested.

As environmental changes, including climate change, become more and more severe and affect every corner of the world, many people are forced to move from their homestead as the nearby environment that once was a safe place slowly becomes inhabitable. The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is one of the places in the world where environmental changes jeopardize rural livelihoods creating a trend of out-migration and urbanization. Through a Minor Field Study facilitated by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA, this research was conducted in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, specifically the An Biên District in Kiên Giang province. The empirical base did, from an ethnographically inspired qualitative method, collect primary data by using observation, semi-structured interviews, a group discussion, as well as expert interviews with key informants. The research aimed at generating insights and knowledge about local perceptions by investigating environmental changes’ connection to migration and integrating the frameworks Drivers of Migration and the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods approach. It found both that the perceptions of environmental changes impact on livelihoods and its relation to migration as adaptation was different depending on the type of agricultural activities. It also found that environmental changes partly had or did not at all have a relationship with migration as adaptation, but rather the financial and social conditions together with natural capital as the size of land.

Vi har utgått från de strukturella ojämlikheterna som finns i det Bolivianska samhället, och insett att dessa måste reduceras för att skapa ett mera fungerande samhälle. Vi har valt att göra en undersökning kring hur dessa strukturella ojämlikheter kan förminskas. För att göra detta har vi utfört en fältstudie i Bolivia där vi genom intervjuer och observationer studerat en social organisation belägen i El Alto, kallad FEJUVE. Vi har fokuserat på hur denna genom sitt arbete och organisation påverkar det Bolivianska samhället, såväl positivt som mindre positivt. Vi har valt ut fem olika aspekter av organisationen som vi har undersökt i särskilt djup detalj, då vi anser att dessa har en speciell relevans i kampen mot utraderandet av strukturella ojämlikheter. Dessa aspekter behandlar frågor om demokrati, machismokultur,tvång, kritisk medvetenhet, organisationens relation till det styrande politiska partiet, samtdess relation till samhällsomstörtande konflikt. Teorier kring demokrati; strukturella ojämlikheter; marginaliserade gruppers relation till konflikt, samt sociala rörelser diskuteras och utvärderas i denna uppsats. Vår slutsats visar att FEJUVE har goda så väl som mindre goda egenskaper, och således studie bidrar vår studie till att visa på civilsamhällets komplexitet, och omöjligheten i att se detta endast som en positiv eller negativ kraft. / We have taken as our point of departure the structural inequalities in Bolivian society, and recognised that these need to be reduced in order to create a better functioning society. We have chosen to conduct an investigation on how these structural inequalities can be reduced. In order to do this we have conducted a field study in Bolivia, where we through interviewsand observations investigated a social organisation situated in El Alto, called FEJUVE. We have focused on how this through it’s work and organisation influence Bolivian society, in positive as well as less positive manners. We have chosen five different aspects of theorganisation which we have studied in closer detail, since we hold that these have a special relevance in the struggle for a structurally more equal society. These aspects deal with questions concerning: democracy; machismo culture; coercion; critical awareness; theFEJUVE’s relation to the ruling political party and it’s current relation to conflict that “shuts down” society. Theories about democracy; structural inequality; marginalised groups’ relation to conflict and social movements are discussed and assessed throughout this thesis. Our conclusion erads that the FEJUVE has good as well as less good qualities, our investigation thus contributes to exhibiting the complexity of civil society, and the impossibility to view this as either simply a positive or a negative force.

Idag pågår det utredningar för upprättandet av en nationalpark och ett biosfärområde i Nämdöskärgården varav Östanvik och Sand antas tillhöra de områden som kan få en ökad exploatering i samband med detta. Det innebär ett ökat grundvattenuttag och en ökad belastning på grundvattenakvifererna. Projektet omfattar en inventering av Östanvik och Sands grundvattentillgångar. Inventeringen har inneburit undersökningar av tillrinningsområden till akviferer, akviferens storlek, maximal boendegrad, grundvattenuttag och risk för saltvatteninträngning. Resultatet visade att grundvattentillgången för Östanvik var tillräcklig för befintlig bebyggelse samt för viss framtida exploatering. Däremot visade resultatet att grundvattentillgången i Sand var begränsad och bedöms inte kunna belastas mer utan att vidta åtgärder som bättre lokalisering av brunnar och/eller avsaltningsanläggningar. Risken för saltvatteninträngning var hög för strandnära brunnar och något lägre för brunnar belägna längre bort från strandlinjen (>100 m). / A future establishment of a national park is planned in the Nämdö archipelago and an entrance to the park could possibly be established somewhere on Nämdö. At the same time, a biosphere reserve is planned for Nämdö and its surroundings, which could lead to an increased development in the area. With an increased development in the archipelago the strain on the already fragile groundwater assets intensifies. The aim of this project was to examine the groundwater situation in Östanvik and Sand, which is located on Nämdö, in order to evaluate how an increase of the groundwater outtake would affect the aquifers and the future groundwater assets. Using field studies, groundwater budget calculations, geotechnical investigations and calculations of the risk for salt water intrusion, an estimate of the local groundwater supply was done. The groundwater capacity in Sand was limited and considering the grade of development in the area further development would most likely impact the groundwater quality. In order to extract more groundwater, new wells would have to be established further away from the developed area and the shore. The groundwater capacity in Östanvik was adequate for the current grade of settlements and tourism, but also for a future increase of both these. In order to protect the existing wells in the area, new wells should be located away from the shore and in areas with good groundwater supply.  The results showed that Östanvik both had bigger aquifers and a currently smaller outtake than Sand and therefore is better suited for an expanded groundwater outtake. The risk for saltwater intrusion in both areas was shown to be relatively high with an increasing risk closer to the shoreline (<100m). In addition to other approaches, this risk can be reduced by a more constrained and scattered outtake in areas further away from the shore, but also by using desalinated seawater.