Works on family business history, 1949-2023

Abstract

The history of the family business is a well-established field of study within business history. However, there is a lack of bibliometric studies on this topic. This requires, first of all, identifying publications on the subject. This has been precisely the object of our research. To do this, a systematic search has been conducted in three data sources-Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar-, using specific keywords to filter relevant publications, as well as applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to select appropriate works. The result has been the identification of 513 publications on the history of the family business between 1949 and 2023. 62% correspond to articles in academic journals, 23% to book chapters, and 15% to books. We also found that interest in family business history jumped in the 1980s and accelerated exponentially from 2008 onwards, although in 2013 it began a gradual decline until 2023. The total number of authors is 628, their productivity being similar to those of economic and business history researchers. This compilation of works will serve as the basis for future bibliometric analyses on the history of the family business and a valuable resource for researchers interested in this field.