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Dr Rebecca Hanlin

Rebecca Hanlin

Profile summary

  • Visiting Informal Academic
  • Visiting Fellow
  • Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
  • School of Social Sciences & Global Studies
  • Development
  • rebecca.hanlin

Professional biography

After completing a BSc (Hons) in Development Studies and Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, Rebecca worked in Tanzania and Nigeria. During this time in Africa she worked both in private industry and as a consultant for the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the area of malaria prevention technologies and public-private partnerships. Rebecca also holds an MSc (Econ) in Health Policy, Planning and Financing, a joint award from London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an MSc (Res) in Science and Technology Studies from University of Edinburgh. Rebecca’s PhD investigated health innovation partnerships and their capacity building activities in Kenya. Rebecca joined Development Policy and Practice (DPP) in October 2007. She has been Director of Health Innovation with the Innogen Centre and is currently Innovation and Development Specialist with the AfricaLics network of innovation and development scholars based in Africa.

Research interests

Rebecca’s work is in the area of innovation and development with a specific focus on health and energy innovation and its implications for the provision of inclusive development. Her current research interests include: scientific research capacity strengthening and the application of innovation systems concepts in developing world settings. To see more on these areas of work please visit: www.africalics.org www.innogen.ac.uk http://www.ipg.open.ac.uk http://thesys.open.ac.uk

Teaching interests

Rebecca was co-chair of TU871, the postgraduate course ‘Development: Context and Practice’ and member of the module team for U213, the undergraduate course called ‘International Development: Challenges for a World in Transition’. She co-developed the remake of TU871 into T877 making it wholly online. Rebecca also coordinated the development of the first part of the remake of the OU’s undergraduate course, TD223, ‘International Development: Making Sense of a Changing World’..

Research groups

NameTypeParent Unit
Development Policy and Practice Research GroupGroupFaculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology

 

Externally funded projects

The Next Generation of Low-Cost Energy-Efficient Appliances and Devices to Benefit the Bottom of the Pyramid
RoleStart dateEnd dateFunding source
Co-investigator19 Jan 201531 Aug 2016EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in activity to provide energy to low-income households and communities in developing countries, through micro-grids and other methods. Unfortunately, beyond LED lighting and mobile phone charging, there has been limited practical exploration of how access to energy can improve the lives of people in developing countries. While studies have shown some improvement in people's lives as a result of this increase in access to lighting, there have been few studies evidencing broader improvement due to energy access. Indeed, adoption of renewable energy has been very low in these countries. This low adoption is especially surprising in light of several studies, which have found that energy can represent one of the largest markets within the Bottom of the Pyramid (the poorest households in our global society). Even as organizations working on the energy access issue wrestle with struggling business models for clean energy distribution, we believe a critical portion of the solution lies elsewhere; and it is receiving scant attention. We believe the primary reason for the low adoption of renewable energy is that there are very few low-energy low-cost products available to-or made for-the poor in developing countries. Energy itself doesn't change people's lives; rather, it is what people use the energy for that does change lives: household appliances, workplace machines, clinical/medical devices, etc. Unfortunately, there is very limited understanding of the many market segments represented by the global poor, and of what types of powered appliances and products might change the quality of their lives (and, ideally, their economic condition). For example Currently, more than two-thirds of births in developing countries occur at home, because poor off-grid communities cannot afford to build clinics with expensive medical devices which also require electricity. New low-cost, low-energy medical devices (e.g., solar-powered infant incubators) would make it possible to build clinics at a dramatically lower cost (as low as 10% of current costs). This would allow women to give birth at clinics instead of homes, and the medical devices in these clinics would lead to faster and more effective intervention during birth emergencies. Since these devices could be solar-powered, they would also significantly reduce the need for nonrenewable energy. The low power incubator is something some early research suggests may be appropriate, but this project as a whole is about setting up research to really understand the detailed needs of the BoP market, and then responding to them with innovative design on an ongoing basis. We strongly believe that demand for renewable energy-and the impact of clean energy access-will significantly increase if a new generation of demand-driven, affordable, low-power products were available. A core component of our project is the creation of Innovation Hubs in countries like Kenya and India. Working with key private and public sector partners, these hubs are intended to be centers-of-excellence which can: (a) conduct ongoing market research on BoP segments, demands and needs (b) produce low-cost, energy-efficient appliances (in collaboration with supply chain partners) (c) lend technical expertise to public, private and academic institutions interested in BoP market insights. Private-sector companies do not traditionally invest in the R&D required to build such products for the BoP, because those markets are highly unpredictable, and because profit margins can be low. As a result, virtually all private sector investments in developing countries are targeting the emerging middle class, rather than the poor. We believe that the market insights we will generate from this project will give private sector companies market intelligence that currently does not exist.

Publications

Inclusive innovation: an architecture for policy development (2014)
Chataway, Jo; Hanlin, Rebecca and Kaplinsky, Raphael
Innovation and Development, 4(1) (pp. 33-54)

RESEARCH CAPACITY-BUILDING IN AFRICA: NETWORKS, INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL OWNERSHIP (2013-10)
Marjanovic, Sonja; Hanlin, Rebecca; Diepeveen, Stephanie and Chataway, Joanna
Journal of International Development, 25(7) (pp. 936-946)

Twenty-first century bioeconomy: global challenges of biological knowledge for health and agriculture (2013-01-18)
Wield, David; Hanlin, Rebecca; Mittra, James and Smith, James
Science and Public Policy, 40(1) (pp. 17-24)

Developmental education for innovation: lessons from an experience in Kenya (2013)
Adwera, Andrew; Hanlin, Rebecca and Johnson, Hazel
International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 6(3) (pp. 244-261)

New drugs and health technologies for low-income populations: will the private sector meet the needs of low-income populations in developing countries? (2013)
Kale, Dinar; Hanlin, Rebecca and Chataway, Joanna
Innovation and Development, 3(1) (pp. 121-137)

The view from below: ‘lock in’ and local procurement in the African gold mining sector (2012)
Hanlin, Rebecca and Hanlin, Christopher
Resources Policy, 37(4) (pp. 468-474)

Global health social technologies: reflections on evolving theories and landscapes (2010)
Chataway, Joanna; Hanlin, Rebecca; Mugwagwa, Julius and Muraguri, Lois
Research Policy, 39(10) (pp. 1277-1288)

Where are the flags of our fathers? Rethinking linkages between social policies and innovation policies (2010)
Hanlin, Rebecca and Sutz, Judith
AJSTID African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation for Development, 2(3) (pp. 153-169)

International product development partnerships: innovation for better health? (2009-12)
Hanlin, Rebecca
RECIIS (Revista Eletrônica de Comunicação, Informação e Inovação em Saúde), 3(4) (pp. 198-208)

Below the radar: What does innovation in emerging economies have to offer other low-income economies? (2009)
Kaplinsky, Raphael; Chataway, Jo; Hanlin, Rebecca; Clark, Norman; Kale, Dinar; Muraguri, Lois; Papaioannou, Theo; Robbins, Peter and Wamae, Watu
International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development, 8(3) (pp. 177-197)

Improving access to health technologies by the poor: the social context in Tanzanian bed net production and delivery (2009)
Hanlin, Rebecca and Muraguri, Lois
International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development, 8(3) (pp. 237-248)

Knowledge capacity and sustainable development: The case of South African HIV vaccine development (2007-05-01)
Hanlin, Rebecca
International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development, 6(1) (pp. 55-66)

Increasing knowledge flow by linking innovation and health – the case of SAAVI (2007)
Hanlin, Rebecca
Genomics, Society and Policy, 2(3) (pp. 37-44)

Global health public-private partnerships: IAVI, partnerships and capacity building (2007)
Hanlin, R.; Chataway, J. and Smith, J.
African Journal of Medicine and Medical Science, 36(Suppl) (pp. 69-75)

The Role of the Product Development Partnership as a Translational Mechanism for Delivering Health Solutions in Low-Resource Settings (2013)
Mugwagwa, Julius; Hanlin, Rebecca; Chataway, Jo and Muraguri, Lois
In: Mittra, James and Milne, Christopher-Paul eds. Translational Medicine: The Future of Therapy (pp. 233-256)
ISBN : 978-981-4316-99-6 | Publisher : Pan Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd

Evaluating Product Development Partnerships: Beyond Quantitative Metrics (2011-02-01)
Hanlin, Rebecca
In: Williams, Owain David and Rushton, Simon eds. Partnerships and Foundations in Global Health Governance. International Political Economy Series (pp. 102-119)
ISBN : 978-0-230-23876-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke

Building the case for systems of health innovation in Africa (2009-02)
Chataway, Joanna; Chaturvedi, Kalpana; Hanlin, Rebecca; Mugwagwa, Julius; Smith, James and Wield, David
In: Kalua, Fetson; Awotedu, Abolade; Kamwanja, Leonard and Saka, John eds. Science, Technology and Innovation for Public Health in Africa (pp. 7-52)
ISBN : 9781920550080 | Publisher : NEPAD Office of Science and Technology | Published : Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

PDPs as social technology innovators in global health: operating above and below the radar (2009)
Chataway, Jo; Hanlin, Rebecca; Muraguri, Lois and Wamae, Watu
In: Penea, Oana ed. Innovating for the Health of All. Global Forum Update on Research for Health (6) (pp. 123-126)
ISBN : 978-2-940401-24-6 | Publisher : Global Forum for Health Research | Published : Geneva

Technological trends and opportunities to combat diseases of the poor in Africa (2009)
Chataway, J.; Chaturvedi, K.; Hanlin, R.; Mugwagwa, J.; Wield, D. and Smith, J.
In: Kalua, Fetson; Awotedu, Abolade; Kamwanja, Leonard and Saka, John eds. Science, Technology and Innovation for Public Health in Africa (pp. 53-93)
ISBN : 1-920550-08-9 | Publisher : NEPAD Office of Science and Technology | Published : Pretoria, Republic of South Africa.

Sustainable (vaccine) development: the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and capacity building (2008)
Chataway, Joanna and Hanlin, Rebecca
In: Matlin, S.; de Francisco, A.; Sundaram, L.; Falch, H. and Gehner, M. eds. Health Partnerships Review (pp. 43-46)
ISBN : 978-2-940401-05-5 | Publisher : Global Forum for Health Research | Published : Geneva

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in a Changing Landscape of Vaccine Development: in a Changing Landscape of Vaccine Development (Iavi) (2008)
Hanlin, Rebecca; Chataway, Joanna; Brusoni, Stefano; Cacciatori, Eugenia and Orsenigo, Luigi
In: Mackintosh, Maureen; Chataway, Joanna and Wuyts, Marc eds. Promoting Innovation, Productivity and Industrial Growth and Reducing Poverty
ISBN : 978-0-415-46528-1 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : London, UK

Introducing Development (2009-01-10)
Fawssett, Susan; Hanlin, Rebecca; Le Mare, Ann; Papaioannou, Theodoros and Wilson, Gordon eds.
ISBN : 1848732473 | Publisher : Open University Worldwide | Published : Milton Keynes

Systems of health innovation in Africa: policy lessons from home and abroad (2010)
Mugwagwa, Julius; Hanlin, Rebecca; Iluyemi, Adesina; Chataway, Jo; Wield, David and Smith, James
In : Second Science with Africa Conference (23-25 Jun 2010, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Below the radar: What does innovation in the Asian driver economies have to offer other low income economies (2009)
Clark, Norman; Chataway, Joanna; Hanlin, Rebecca; Kale, Dinar; Kaplinsky, Raphael; Muraguri, Lois; Papaioannou, Theo; Robbins, Peter and Wamae, Watu
Economic and Social Research Council

Building the Case for National Systems of Health Innovation (2007-01)
Chataway, Jo; Chaturvedi, Kalpana; Hanlin, Rebecca; Mugwagwa, Julius; Smith, James and Wield, David
ESRC Innogen Centre, UK.

Technological Trends and Opportunities to Combat Diseases of the Poor in Africa: A Background Policy Paper prepared for NEPAD in advance of the AMCOST meeting and the African Union Summit (2007)
Chataway, Joanna; Chaturvedi, Kalpana; Hanlin, Rebecca; Mugwagwa, Julius; Smith, James and Wield, David
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), UK.

Making Bioscience Related Health Innovations Work for the Poor: Are Public-Private Partnerships the Answer? (2005)
Chataway, Jo; Hanlin, Rebecca; Murphy, Joseph and Smith, James
ESRC Genomics Forum, UK.

A situational analysis of the ITN market in Nigeria (2002)
Hanlin, Rebecca
UNICEF, Nigeria.