Discovering Green: The Role of Organizational and Network Embeddedness in the Shift Toward Sustainability Research

Carolin Nast and Tom Broekel ()

No 2618, Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) from Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography

Abstract: This study examines researchers’ diversification into sustainability research, distinguishing between initial entry and subsequent engagement intensity. While the existing literature emphasises individual-level drivers, we argue that such diversification is also shaped by organisational and relational contexts. Using bibliometric data from the University of Stavanger, Norway, we show that network distance to sustainability-active colleagues is a key predictor: researchers who are structurally closer to engaged peers are more likely to enter the field and deepen their involvement. By contrast, department- and faculty-level sustainability activities show weaker, more context-dependent associations, with department-level effects disappearing once network variables are included. The findings highlight the importance of intra-organisational knowledge networks for sustainability-oriented research transitions.

Keywords: research diversification; sustainability research; organizational context; academic peer influence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-08, Revised 2026-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-sbm
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