Mapping the intellectual landscape of green economy and sustainable finance: A bibliometric analysis (2014–2024)

https://doi.org/10.51867/scimundi.6.1.15

Authors

Keywords:

Climate Change, Environmental Sustainability, Financial Innovation, Green Economy, Green Finance, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Finance

Abstract

This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scholarly research on green economy and sustainable finance from 2014 to 2024. Drawing upon a dataset of 692 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Scopus and analysed using the Bibliometrix R package, the study maps the field’s intellectual landscape, thematic development, and collaborative networks. The findings reveal a consistent increase in scientific output, with a pronounced surge in publications after 2018. This growth trend aligns with global policy milestones such as the Paris Agreement, the European Union [EU] Sustainable Finance Action Plan, and the proliferation of Environmental, Social, and Governance [ESG] integration and green bonds. China emerges as the most productive country, while institutions such as Jiangsu University, the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and the Lebanese American University lead in publication volume and collaboration intensity. Keyword co-occurrence and thematic mapping identify dominant themes related to green finance, environmental sustainability, ESG frameworks, and renewable energy, alongside emerging topics like climate risk disclosure and transition finance. Conceptual and co-word network analyses further reveal the interdisciplinary integration of finance, economics, policy, and environmental science. The study also demonstrates the growing decentralization of institutional influence and the rise of both North–South and South–South collaborations. These findings offer valuable insights into the evolving structure of research in sustainable finance and inform future academic inquiry and policy development.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Dimensions

Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

Faizi, F., Kusuma, A. S., & Widodo, P. (2024). Islamic green finance: Mapping the climate funding landscape in Indonesia. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 40(4), 711-733. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-08-2023-0189 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-08-2023-0189

Fu, C. (2024). Advancing green finance: A review of sustainable development and innovation. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 14(2), 101-128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44265-023-00020-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44265-023-00020-3

Guo, L., & Tan, W. (2024). Relationship between green credit and high-quality development of green and green economy: "Pull effect" or "Capricorn effect." Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(10), 26449-26473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03736-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03736-6

Gupta, R., Kumar, N., Bansal, S., Singh, S., Sood, N., & Gupta, S. (2023). Artificial intelligence-driven digital cytology-based cervical cancer screening: Is the time ripe to adopt this disruptive technology in resource-constrained settings? A literature review. Journal of Digital Imaging, 36(4), 1643-1652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-023-00821-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-023-00821-0

Huang, H., & Zhang, J. (2021). Research on the environmental effect of green finance policy based on the analysis of pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations. Sustainability, 13(7), 3754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073754 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073754

Irfan, M., Razzaq, A., Sharif, A., & Yang, X. (2022). Influence mechanism between green finance and green innovation: Exploring regional policy intervention effects in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 182, 121882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121882 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121882

Korobov, Y. I., Bogomolov, S. M., Iliyna, L. V., & Plotnikova, M. V. (2021). Green bank lending in the system of green financing. In Industry 4.0: Exploring the consequences of climate change (pp. 355-365). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75405-1_31 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75405-1_31

Lee, C. C., & Lee, C. C. (2022). How does green finance affect green total factor productivity? Evidence from China. Energy Economics, 107, 105863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.105863 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.105863

Li, X., Wang, Z., Yu, Y., & Chen, Y. (2023). Does green finance promote the social responsibility fulfilment of highly polluting enterprises? Empirical evidence from China. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 36(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2153719 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2153719

Liza, F. F., Wei, L., Hassan, S. T., Khan, I., & Ahmad, F. (2024). Driving low-carbon mechanisms through smart investments in renewable resources and green finance initiatives among G20 nations. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 122439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122439 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122439

Ma, X. (2024). The mechanism of green finance on "dual" carbon emission goals based on Lasso and DML methods. In ACM International Conference Proceeding Series (pp. 12-17). https://doi.org/10.1145/3703187.3703191 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3703187.3703191

Pulicherla, K. K., Adapa, V., Ghosh, M., & Ingle, P. (2022). Current efforts on sustainable green growth in the manufacturing sector to complement "Make in India" for making "self-reliant India." Environmental Research, 206, 112263. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112263

Sharma, A., & Bajaj, S. (2023). Impact of sustainability and green finance on SMEs to promote green growth. In Sustainability, green management, and performance of SMEs (pp. 187-198). https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111170022-010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111170022-010

Surenthran, D. P., Devapitchai, J. J., Cyril, J. S., & Soundarya, M. (2024). Leading the way: Eco-innovation in green entrepreneurship. In Digitizing green entrepreneurship (pp. 325-353). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7442-9.ch012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7442-9.ch012

Tan, Y., & Zhu, Z. (2022). The effect of ESG rating events on corporate green innovation in China: The mediating role of financial constraints and managers' environmental awareness. Technology in Society, 68, 101906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101906 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101906

Tettamanzi, P., Gotti Tedeschi, R., & Murgolo, M. (2024). The European Union (EU) green taxonomy: Codifying sustainability to provide certainty to the markets. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(11), 27111-27136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03798-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03798-6

Tsipas, F., Elrashidy, Z., & Damak, M. (2024). Green bonds efficiency and renewable energy: Insights from emerging markets. Journal of Environmental Management, 345, 123090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123090

Wasnik, A., Pandey, D. C., & Tiwari, R. (2024). Bibliometric evaluation of green technology and green finance. In 2024 International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Sustainable Innovations in Technology (IC-SIT 2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/IC-SIT63503.2024.10862890 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IC-SIT63503.2024.10862890

Yang, C. C., Ou, S. L., & Hsu, L. C. (2019). A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model for evaluating companies' green credit rating. Sustainability, 11(6), 1506. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061506

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061506 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061506

Zhang, D., Mohsin, M., Rasheed, A. K., Chang, Y., & Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. (2021). Public spending and green economic growth in BRI region: Mediating role of green finance. Energy Policy, 153, 112256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112256 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112256

Zhang, W., Zhao, Y., & Meng, F. (2024). ESG performance and green innovation of Chinese firms: A policy-driven perspective. Journal of Environmental Management, 344, 122955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122955 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122955

Zhao, Z., Huang, R., Zhang, Y., Shiga, Y., & Shaw, R. (2024). Assessing the role of climate transition bonds in advancing green transformations in Japan. Climate, 12(12), Article 201. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli12120201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cli12120201

Zhilkina, A. N., Trachenko, M. B., & Kozhanova, A. V. (2020). Startup financing in the green economy. In Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (Vol. 111, pp. 735-745). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39797-5_72 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39797-5_72

Zhongping, S., Yongjun, G., Yunbao, X., Qifeng, X., & Andlib, Z. (2023). Green financial investment and its influence on economic and environmental sustainability: Does privatization matter? Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(39), 91046-91059. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28520-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28520-x

Zhou, X., Tang, X., & Zhang, R. (2020). Impact of green finance on economic development and environmental quality: A study based on provincial panel data from China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(16), 19915-19932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08383-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08383-2

Zhu, B., Chen, G., & Wang, P. (2024). How does green fiscal policy promote the synergy of pollution mitigation and carbon reduction? Evidence from China. Energy, 313, 133700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.133700 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.133700

Published

2026-03-03

How to Cite

Erick, S. B., Mbasa, B., & Mang’ana, K. (2026). Mapping the intellectual landscape of green economy and sustainable finance: A bibliometric analysis (2014–2024). SCIENCE MUNDI, 6(1), 158–174. https://doi.org/10.51867/scimundi.6.1.15

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): Jan-Jun 2026

Section

Articles
Copyright & Licensing

Copyright (c) 2026 Stephen Bishibura Erick, Bonamax Mbasa, Kulwa Mang’ana

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC