Bibliometric Analysis of Environmental, Social, and Governance Management Research from 2002 to 2021

Abstract

Extreme weather events caused by climate change have increased people’s focus on sustainability. Environmental, social, and governance management (ESGM) has become crucial for corporate operations and development; ESGM has attracted the attention of the academic communities, and the number of related studies has continued to increase. However, this topic is multidisciplinary and diverse; therefore, this study used the Web of Science Core Collection Database to conduct a bibliometric analysis of ESGM-related articles published from 2002 to 2021. Bibliometrix (R language), VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to identify and analyze research trends related to the number of studies, research fields, authors, national institutions, and keywords. The importance of management and governance was identified through keyword analysis; important keywords identified were financial performance, adaptive governance, property rights, sustainable development goals, and corporate governance.