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Universities, Inclusive Development, and Social Innovation: Does That Debate Matter in Cuba?

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Universities, Inclusive Development and Social Innovation

Abstract

We argue in this chapter that the role of universities in the Cuban innovation system is becoming increasingly important for solving social, economic, and environmental problems in the country. The chapter also discusses why concepts such as social innovation and inclusive innovation are not mentioned (so far) in Cuban policy documents. There are, however, many examples of what could be called social innovations in Cuba, related not least to the dynamic biotech sector in Cuba. We discuss the potential of the university to generate innovations that promote social inclusion and sustainable development. Main barriers to such efforts include a narrow approach to social innovation and a lack of understanding of innovation as a systemic process. Cuba’s STI policy remains top-down and without an explicit strategy on social innovation. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some of major challenges that STI and Higher Education policies face towards the goal of social inclusion.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It should be noted that in terms of percentage to GDP this budget is the highest compared to many countries in Latin America, which reached 32 % in 1998, 30.8 % in 2002 (INIE, CEPAL 2004), and 40.8 % in 2009 (CEPAL 2010).

  2. 2.

    It is important to acknowledge that poverty is a relatively recent topic in social sciences agenda in Cuba. There are not many general or national studies, less can be found in national statistics. Nonetheless, there is a growing amount of study cases that indicate the existence of poverty and its many dimensions (much of them founded by CLACSO-CROP Scholarship programs). See: Zabala Argüelles, María del Carmen (comp.) Algunas claves para pensar la pobreza en Cuba desde la mirada de jóvenes investigadores. FLACSO-Centro Félix Varela; 2014.

  3. 3.

    One exception is the department of social studies of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the University of Havana.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Havana, Havana, Cuba

    Jorge Núñez Jover, Galia Figueroa Alfonso, Ariamnis Alcázar Quiñones & Tamara Proenza Díaz

Authors
  1. Jorge Núñez Jover
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  2. Galia Figueroa Alfonso
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  3. Ariamnis Alcázar Quiñones
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  4. Tamara Proenza Díaz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jorge Núñez Jover .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Claes Brundenius

  2. School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Bo Göransson

  3. Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    José Manoel Carvalho de Mello

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Jover, J.N., Alfonso, G.F., Quiñones, A.A., Díaz, T.P. (2017). Universities, Inclusive Development, and Social Innovation: Does That Debate Matter in Cuba?. In: Brundenius, C., Göransson, B., Carvalho de Mello, J. (eds) Universities, Inclusive Development and Social Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43700-2_6

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