Abstract
Grassroots innovation (GI) is an important strand for cleaner production and sustainable development. Studies have explored various facets of grassroots innovation. Despite two decades of research, however, there is no systematic review of the GI literature. The objective of this study is to synthesize the existing literature on GI. It identifies the main theories, characteristics, stakeholders, challenges, diffusion, and potential of GI, among others. The study points out how GI contributes to sustainability. It shows that only a few scholars have a significant contribution, which limits the broad expansion of the GI discipline. Moreover, GI literature has not been linked with the mainstream innovation literature. Even though GI is significant for sustainable development, its impact is limited in reality.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 973-981 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Cleaner Production |
Volume | 137 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Nov 2016 |
MoE publication type | A2 Review article, Literature review, Systematic review |
Keywords
- Cleaner production
- Community
- Diffusion
- Grassroots innovation
- Niche
- Sustainable development