Fairness institutions for frugal innovation

Frugal innovation have raised a justice expectation by being 'simple', 'functionally efficient’ and 'affordable' for the people in the marginal strata. The studies on justice implications of innovation deliberate upon creating an institutional frameworks concerning the allocation of resources, the prioritization of areas and redistribution of the gains from innovations. This paper adapts this line of research in the context of frugal innovation. While conventionally frugal innovations are meant for people in the Global South, the COVID pandemic has demonstrated the need for fast, affordable, functional and simple innovative solutions for the Global North too. Drawing upon some of these experiences, the authors argue that an inclusion of, hitherto neglected, lay actors' knowledge in the production and distribution of frugal innovations could be crucial in creating a set of fairness institutions around it. The authors further argue for an institutional structure that could be experientially adapted in a decentralized, context-specific manner.