Abstract
Scientific publications on social innovation and interest in the subject have grown substantially in the last decade, evidencing the need for more studies in this direction. This study aimed to map the scientific publications and intellectual structure in the field of social innovation, through a bibliometric study. The bibliometric survey specifically considered the period 2006–2021, through data indexed by the SCOPUS database, which included journals with a high impact factor. A total of 1192 articles were analyzed using the software VOSviewer (VOS) 1.6.15, to graphically map the material. The results showed explosive growth in the academic literature on social innovation in the last decade; moreover, they allowed the identification of the main authors, articles, topics, institutions, and countries in the field. From the analyses, a theoretical framework structured with four main emphases (clusters) was evidenced: (1) social entrepreneurship and the third sector; (2) strategic management and innovation; (3) sociopolitical aspects, urban development, and governance; and (4) innovation and sustainability.
Highlights
The results described in this article take into account four main analyses
The expressive growth is reflected in the number of annual publications over the last three years
The first mentions of Social innovation (SI) appeared in the 1970s [29], the expressive growth of the area took place only in the last decade, representing more than 88% of the total publications
Summary
The clash between economic growth and socio-environmental development has shown the insufficiency of existing structures and policies in solving some of the most pressing issues of today, such as social inequality, health, poverty reduction, and climate change, among other problems that are not yet solvable [1,2]. Debates in this direction have stimulated academics, civil society, governments, and organizations to think under a new paradigm, and in a perspective that goes beyond economic resolutions, the demand for innovative initiatives and solutions that prioritize meeting the aforementioned challenges [3]. The idea of the social dimension of innovation has become a broad and accepted idea [8], raising expectations in relation to social performance
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