Dr. Iva Peša

Job title
Researcher

Iva worked for the ICFI as a postdoctoral researcher. She completed a PhD at Leiden University focusing on the social history of Mwinilunga District in North-Western Zambia which resulted in the thesis "Moving along the roadside: A social history of Mwinilunga District, 1870s-1970s". She worked on a theoretical framework and conducts research on the historical dimensions of frugal innovations and the use of mobile money and improved cook stoves in Zambia.

Among her publications are the following:

  • Knorringa, P., I. Peša, A. Leliveld and C. Van Beers (2016) 'Frugal Innovation and Development: Aides Or Adversaries?', The European Journal of Development Research 28(2): 143-153.
  • Peša, I. (2015) 'Homegrown Or Imported? Frugal Innovation and Local Economic Development in Zambia', Southern African Journal of Policy and Development 2(1): 15-25.
  • Gewald, J.B., A. Leliveld and I. Peša (2012) Transforming Innovations in Africa: Explorative Studies on Appropriation in African Societies. Vol. 11. Leiden and Boston: Brill.


Iva Peša: The success of frugal innovation does not necessarily have to do with cost reduction. How a society accepts a frugal innovation can play a crucial role in its success.

More about Iva

Iva Pesa
Email address
i.pesa@rug.nl