Global Overview of Circular Economy Research: A Bibliometric Analysis from the Administrative Sciences
Keywords:
Circular economy, Bibliometrics, ManagementAbstract
The circular economy (CE) has emerged as an alternative paradigm to the linear model of production and consumption, gaining increasing relevance in the scientific literature. The objective of this study was to characterize the state of research on CE within the field of administrative sciences, considering its trends, main contributors, and publication sources. To this end, a descriptive design was employed using the Scopus database, applying the search equation TITLE-ABS-KEY (“circular economy”) with restrictions to the business area and to documents classified as articles and conference papers. The processing of 5,112 records was conducted using the Biblioshiny library in RStudio, which enabled the analysis of variables related to countries, international collaboration, thematic clusters, authors, and journals. The results reveal sustained and global growth in academic production on CE, with presence across all continents and a notable leadership from the United States, Brazil, India, and China. A total of 18,576 authors were identified, although only a small group concentrates the highest productivity, forming international collaboration networks. At the thematic level, three major axes stand out: innovation and sustainability; product recycling and life cycle; and supply chain management. Likewise, the consolidation of leading journals is evident, particularly the Journal of Cleaner Production, which accounts for 26.7% of the articles. In conclusion, CE is consolidating as an expanding multidisciplinary field with direct implications for public policy formulation, business competitiveness, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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