A bibliometric review of the knowledge base for innovation in sustainable development

Abstract

This review explores the rising research field of sustainable development in combination with innovation. The basis to reach sustainable development is innovation, which plays a role on all dimensions, be it economically, socially, or environmentally. In this review, science mapping techniques were employed in order to asses 1690 journal articles extracted from the SCOPUS database concerned with innovation in sustainable development (ISD). The main objective of the review is to reveal the size, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution of the ISD literature. Furthermore, the aim is to assess the key publishing journals, authors, and documents as well as to uncover the intellectual structure and topical foci of the research domain. The review acknowledges a reasonable body of knowledge spanning nearly three decades. A result of this review is that the sustainable development literature emerged from the environmental research field and that the topical foci of the domain is closely aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. This review is a first attempt to systematically analyze the literature on innovation in sustainable development (ISD) by applying science mapping techniques such as bibliometric analysis. It shall give guidance for future research and demonstrate the practical implications.