Corporate Governance and Financial Performance Under Environmental and Sustainability Challenges: A Bibliometric Analysis (2015-2025)
Abstract
Purpose – This research seeks to methodically chart or trace the development of scientific research regarding the linkage between corporate governance and financial performance in the background of environmental and sustainability issues from the year 2015 to 2025. It seeks to clarify how governance mechanisms have adapted to sustainability pressures and how these adaptations affect firms’ financial outcomes and long-term resilience. Design/data/methodology – In this scenario, a bibliometric research design will be used for this research as it will involve a data set of 609 peer-reviewed articles retrievable from the Scopus database. Scientists mapping methods such as co-citation analysis, co-author analysis, and co-word analysis have been employed to understand publishing trends in this field. Findings – Our findings show a strong and non-linear annual growth rate of 37.02%, with a sharp acceleration after 2019, reflecting the global turn toward sustainability-oriented governance. The geography of knowledge production is multipolar, and China has unmistakably emerged as a core node in the network of international research collaboration. Thematic evolution analysis offers clear signals of paradigmatic changes in conceptual perspectives: from fragmented to integrated approaches of governance ESG-aligned. Originality/value – This research provides a concise bibliometric synthesis of a rapidly expanding field, clarifying its intellectual and thematic evolution, and demonstrates that corporate governance has moved beyond a procedural role to become a key driver of financial value under environmental and sustainability challenges.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Finance
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
January 20, 2026
Acceptance Date
June 22, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 4 Number: 1