Resolving the “sustainability paradox”: a bibliometric and topic modeling analysis of sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption

Banashree Kar, Sujata Khandai and Ivan Zupic

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 2025, vol. 20, issue 2, 383-424

Abstract: PurposeThis study addresses the enduring “sustainability paradox” – the tension between entrepreneurial and growth-oriented practices, and the principles of sustainable consumption. This study aims to examine how these competing initiatives can be strategically aligned. Using the bibliometric methodology, this study analyzes extant literature on sustainable consumption and sustainable entrepreneurship to uncover similarities, distinctions and future research trajectories at the areas of intersection.Design/methodology/approachUsing the Scopus database, the authors extracted 603 articles for sustainable consumption and 303 for sustainable entrepreneurship, published over the period 2018 and 2023. The analysis included the most cited papers, sources of publications, bibliographic coupling and topic modeling.FindingsBibliographic coupling resulted in the discovery of seven clusters in sustainable consumption and eight in sustainable entrepreneurship, shedding light on various aspects including sustainable business models, entrepreneurial intention for sustainable entrepreneurship, motivations for sustainable entrepreneurship as well as determinants of green purchase intention, psychological impact on sustainable consumption, theoretical perspectives and sustainable consumption through sharing economy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study concludes by outlining critical implications and proposes avenues for future research on sustainable business challenges and providing a framework depicting the pathway from sustainable entrepreneurship to sustainable consumption by bringing clarity to the fields of the study.Originality/valueThe originality of this study lies in the exploration of the intersection of sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption which has been discussed in isolation in the previous literature.

Keywords: Sustainable entrepreneurship; Sustainable consumption; Bibliometric analysis; Bibliographic coupling; Topic modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:jecpps:jec-11-2024-0235

DOI: 10.1108/JEC-11-2024-0235

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