Dialogue 6: Rethinking Innovation. Alternative approaches for people and planet

Friday 21 June 2024, 11.00h (Plenary tent) with Alejandra Boni (Ingenio – UPV), Adrian Smith (University of Sussex) & Andrea Jiménez (University of Sheffield), moderated by Aviram Sharma (Universidade de Vigo) Innovations are conventionally conceptualized as one of the crucial driving factors fuelling the “growth machine” of capitalism, and science and technology led “endless” economic growth. Innovations became the imperative for the survival of all forms of organizations and the creative force that bring economic dynamism and greater welfare for the broader common good. Recent scholarship has challenged this orthodox position. Drawing from these emerging debates within degrowth and STI literature, this panel will explore how innovations can be theorized in post-growth societies. In other words, how can innovations be conceptualized by keeping people and the planet at the centre rather than economic growth and profit?