Mapping socially responsible investing: A bibliometric and citation network analysis

An increasing number of financial investors base their investment decisions on sustainability consider-ations. At the same time, there is growing evidence that socially responsible investment acts as an essential lever to improve both the economic system's long term viability and the performance and risk profiles of investment portfolios. We map the academic research in socially responsible investment and illustrate key research avenues and trends by conducting bibliometric research based on systematic key search-string-based analysis of the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science and Elsevier Scopus databases. We contribute to the body of knowledge in the associated fields of socially responsible investment, sus-tainable investing and industrial sustainability in four ways: (1) identifying the most influential articles in the field, (2) mapping the interdisciplinary character of socially responsible investing and its biblio-metric similarity to adjacent fields, (3) visualising nature and trends of the research field via network analysis, and by (4) synthesising areas for further research. While socially responsible investing has gained considerable traction already, there is to date no holistic bibliometric analysis on the topic. This is the research gap this paper addresses and helps to close. The study's findings help academics and practitioners to navigate the literature on socially responsible investing, provide a systematic basis for developing the field, and suggest promising avenues for further research. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The research highlights the importance of socially responsible investment in improving the long-term sustainability of economic systems and investment portfolio performance and risk profiles. Through bibliometric analysis and visualization techniques, it provides insights into research trends in the field of socially responsible investment and suggests promising avenues for further research.