Governance and Sustainability in Developing Countries: Intelectual Structure, Trends and Lessons From Brazil and China

Abstract

Objective – The purpose of this research is to analyze the intellectual structure and existing interconnections between governance and sustainability in developing nations, examining the prevailing trends and emerging topics. Additionally, the study compares Brazil and China, which are two of the most significant and diverse developing countries globally, with the goal of elucidating specific differences. This comparison aims to exemplify the similarities and disparities concerning sustainability and governance in these contexts. Method – A mixed-methods approach through a systematic literature review to build the intelectual strucrure, with the use of the bibliometrix package in R software, and descriptive statistics and t-tests were employed with the World Bank Data to profile some aspects and compare both countries. Results – Results bring evidence of a main interests related to governance impact and determinants, poluent emissions, corporate responsability and organization/country performance, within the literature. The study also suggets an inverse profile regarding governance and sustainability, with Brazil pointing to better sustainable conditions than China, however, with lesser business aspects to leverage development. Originality – The study on governance and sustainability in developing countries stands out for its detailed analysis of governance factors affecting pollutant emissions and corporate responsibility. The study also performs a specific comparison between Brazil and China, in terms of sustainable development aspects. Theoretical contributions – The study highlights a growing academic interest in governance and sustainability in developing countries, broadens the discourse to include key issues like pollutant emissions and corporate responsibility and country performance in terms o patent registration.