Behind the Number: A Review of Index Methodologies to Improve Innovation Measurement in Africa

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Islam Hassouna

This paper reviews the methodologies of 16 indices in innovation, information and communication technologies, economic environment, governance, and development.  It looks at the different techniques used by these indicators to aggregate data into a single number.  The paper presents index structure, data, weighing of indicators, assessment, and ends with a focus on the measurement of innovation in the reviewed indices.

Towards an Alternative Assessment of Innovation in Africa

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Nagla Rizk, Ayah El Said, Nadine Weheba and Jeremy de Beer

This background paper is drafted with the purpose of revisiting the literature on innovation in general, and in Africa in particular in an attempt to expand the existing definitions and metrics that capture them. We argue that there are several dimensions to innovation that are not being fully captured by conventional innovation metrics.

A Scan of South Africa's Maker Movement

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Jeremy de Beer, Chris Armstrong, Meika Ellis and Erika Kraemer-Mbula

This Working Paper sets out findings from a national scan of maker collectives in South Africa. The scan gathered data on more than 20 maker communities across five South African provinces. The research generated a set of 12 variables, covering a range of management, spatial and activity aspects of maker communities.