Crowdsourcing Sustainability Innovation: An Empirical Study of Solver Engagement, Funding Structures, and Geographic Diversity.

This research explores the role of crowdsourcing in addressing sustainability challenges, focusing on solver engagement patterns, geographical diversity, and the influence of funding characteristics. With the rapid growth of open innovation platforms like Wazoku, crowdsourcing offers a unique mechanism for gathering innovative solutions to pressing environmental, social, and economic sustainability problems. The study investigates how different challenge types, funder characteristics, and incentive structures influence solver participation (Number of solutions submitted) and the geographical distribution of solutions. Additionally, the study incorporates geographical aspects by using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to measure the concentration of solutions across regions. Using a dataset of 200 sustainability challenges posted on Wazoku between 2010 and 2025, the research applies both descriptive and inferential techniques, including regression and mediation analysis, to assess how various challenge characteristics, such as challenge type (ideation, theoretical, RTP, eRFP etc.), and funding characteristics (funder types, funding amounts, funding types etc.), affect solver participation and geographic diversity. Key findings from the research offer valuable insights into the conditions under which geographical diversity in solutions is promoted, how different funding types correlate with solver engagement, and the role of challenge types in determining the geographic spread and solver participation in sustainability solutions. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on open innovation and sustainability, providing practical recommendations for future crowdsourcing efforts aimed at tackling complex global sustainability challenges. The results will inform the design of more inclusive and effective crowdsourcing platforms that can foster global collaboration for sustainable innovation.