Mapping the Research between Foreign Direct Investment and Environmental Concerns; Where Are We and Where to Go?

Abstract

Research on the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and environmental concerns has been drastically growing, providing opportunities to conduct systematic and bibliometric overviews. Surprisingly, to date, there has been no bibliometric study on the relationship to analyze the large volume of data. To fill the gap, we conducted a bibliometric study to address the statistical evaluation of the published studies and measure the role of the publications in the scientific community. We utilized the Scopus data from 2000–2021 and applied VOSviewer for co-citation and bibliographic coupling and SciMAT for conceptual structure and evaluation. In addition to the most influential authors, journals, and countries, we have discussed theoretical foundations and current research streams in the field of FDI and environmental concerns. We have discussed how research streams in the fields of FDI and environment transformed during 2000–2005, 2006–2010, 2011–2015, and 2016–2021. Concerning future research directions, we strongly recommend studying public policies and government incentives for environmental concerns. Consequently, we have also discussed several future research directions that can further strengthen the field.