Title: Scientific inquiry circle activities of local citizens for bottom-up type innovation

Authors: Hajime Eto

Addresses: University of Tsukuba, Nakano 3-43-17-305, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0001, Japan

Abstract: This paper proposes a long-ranged innovation policy via intellectual or scientific development of locals in the situation of economic depression. Specifically, this paper proposes to organise local inquiry circles of citizens such as teachers, experienced farmers or fishermen, unemployed youths with a certain educational background, and students. The creative inquiry activities are purposed to accumulate intellectual or scientific knowledge for future innovation potentials in locals. These circle activities can learn lessons from the experiences of success in small volunteer-based circle activities such as 4-H clubs (Head, Heart, Hands, and Health) in agricultural areas in the early and the middle 1900s and quality circles in industries in the middle and the late 1900s. These proposed activities can be voluntarily allied with the currently active tourism policies in locals. In a long-ranged scope, they are expected to foster the intellectual or scientific potentials in locals and to push up the innovations in locals.

Keywords: citizens participation in innovative inquiry; creativity education in locals; fosterage of local innovation potentials; 4-H club; grassroots level innovative inquiry; inquiry-based science education; little science; local-centric innovative circles; long-ranged innovation policy; pushup-type innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFIP.2018.095853

International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, 2018 Vol.13 No.1/2, pp.1 - 13

Received: 01 Jul 2016
Accepted: 26 Aug 2017
Published online: 25 Oct 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article