Mapping the Grassroots Innovation Research: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Agenda

Grassroots innovation is a vital catalyst for economic growth, social progress, and sustainable development. This paper conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of grassroots innovation, examining citation patterns, co-occurrence trends, and influential sources, leading authors, and contributing countries. Rooted in bottom-up, locally driven initiatives, grassroots innovation offers promising solutions to societal challenges. The publication trend identified a remarkable increase in grassroots innovation over the last eight years. Citation analysis identifies seminal works and influential authors, showcasing the field's intellectual evolution. Co-occurrence analysis reveals thematic clusters, providing nuanced insights into research trends. Prominent sources, authors, and institutions are recognized, fostering collaboration and informed decision-making. The identification of publication sources and contributing authors was based on both the number of documents published in the field and their importance as determined by citation index. Geographical distribution analysis highlights countries contributing significantly to grassroots innovation research, offering valuable perspectives for regional interventions. Finally, the United Kingdom, India, and the United States were discovered to be the most publishing countries on grassroots innovation. This bibliometric review equips researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with essential knowledge to nurture inclusive and sustainable grassroots innovation ecosystems.