Hello,
I am a PhD student from the University of Melbourne, currently researching
design practice which aims to contribute to poverty alleviation and economic
development in poor nations, or "Design for Social Wellbeing". (sometimes
called design for social impact, design for development, design activism, etc..)
I am focusing on the normative aspects of "design thinking"; such as an
individual's underlying ideological, institutional or theoretical
dispositions which influence product or service development within DSW
organizations.
I have begun looking for organizations who may be interested in
participating in my case study. If anybody is aware of organizations
working in any of these three capacities (particularly in Sth/Central
America), or could advise or refer me to them, I would be extremely grateful...
1) Commercial product/service development for low-income markets through
social enterprise
2) Technical assistance and capacity building with local artisans or
micro-enterprises
3) Product, service and infrastructure development assistance for
communities and organizations.
Also, I have found the literature and theoretical background of DSW to be
fragmented and underdeveloped. In an attempt to contribute and open it
further, I have uploaded my research proposal online, for anyone interested:
http://www.xime.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Work_in_Progress
I welcome any comments or advice...
Thanks everybody!!
Regards,
Edan Weis
PhD Student,
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.
The University of Melbourne
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