Appropriation and Intellectual Property in the Informal Economy

This chapter explores how innovation is appropriated in the informal sector. It contributes new knowledge to this field in three ways. First, it solidifies a new interdisciplinary conceptual framework for looking at intellectual property (IP) and other appropriation strategies in the informal sector which bridges law, economics, management, development studies and related fields. Second, it synthesizes empirical findings based on original qualitative data from fieldwork conducted for this book and a parallel project by the Open African Innovation Research network (Open AIR). Third, it summarizes the practical challenges that actors in the informal economy face in using IP, also preparing the ground for policy suggestions outlined in Chapter 7. The chapter's key conclusion is that the crucial policy question is not whether appropriation methods are relevant in the informal economy, but rather which mechanisms, formal and/or informal, may be most suitable or promising in the specific case and sector under consideration