Analysis and visualization of indexed scientific productions in the field of environmental economics in the Web of Science database

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student, Information Science and Knowledge, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch and Director of the Central Library of Qom University.

2 PhD student in Knowledge and Information Science, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Faculty of Computer Engineering, University of Isfahan

4 Master's student in Information Science and Knowledge, Information Management major, University of Qom

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze indexed scientific productions related to the field of environmental economics based on the web.au.science database along with drawing a scientific map of this field.
Methodology: This applied research used a scientometric approach to analyze 1248 records of scientific productions on environmental economics, indexed from 1967 to 2023. Data was collected through an advanced search strategy in the database, filtering by language, country, author, and year. VOSviewer and UCINet software were used for data analysis.
Findings: The findings showed that among countries, China is the leader in scientific productions with 363 articles and has had the most cooperation with the United States, England, and Pakistan. After China, the United States is in the next ranks with 259 records and England is in the next ranks with 128 records. Among the authors, Li Y ranks first with 9 publications and 17 citations in the Web of Science database. After him, Zhang J ranks second with 7 publications and 45 citations, and Li X ranks third with 5 publications and 52 citations. The highest scientific production was recorded in 2022 with 159 articles, and the first article dates back to 1967. Three highly cited articles in the field of environmental economics address sustainable development, competitiveness in transition economies, and the hydrogen economy. The commonality of these articles, the emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches, practical application in policymaking, and attention to global challenges, has been cited in the fields of resource management, renewable energy, and green economy, and shows that future research in environmental economics should focus on the connection between the environment, economy, and society, and on providing practical solutions. Among the journals, SUSTAINABILITY from Switzerland, FRESENIUS ENVIRONMENTAL BULLETIN from Germany, and JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION from the United Kingdom are the three top publishers in the field of environmental economics, which focus on environmental sustainability and sustainable development policies, industrial pollution and clean technologies, and clean production strategies and resource efficiency, respectively. Analysis of the geographical distribution of these publications shows that Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom are not only leaders in environmental policy and renewable energy, but also play an important role in shaping the scientific discourse in this field by producing scientific knowledge and publishing applied research. The findings indicate that in order to identify the most frequent sustainable development goals related to environmental economics, relevant scientific articles were collected and analyzed, which showed that action to prevent climate change had the highest frequency with 291 repetitions, while sustainable cities and communities and infrastructure and innovation in industry ranked second and third, respectively. These results indicate that environmental economics research has focused mainly on environmental and industrial challenges, while issues such as poverty eradication, hunger, and human health have received less attention, which indicates the need for interdisciplinary research in this area. Also, the time trend and relationships of the most frequent keywords in environmental economics show the evolution of research from fundamental issues (2014-2016) to emerging challenges like the circular economy and global crises such as COVID-19 (2020-2022), reflecting research's responsiveness to contemporary needs and global crises.
Conclusion: The results showed that keywords related to environmental economics are classified into 7 clusters, each emphasizing a specific aspect. The focus of research has shifted from fundamental environmental issues to more complex concepts such as the circular economy, the digital economy, and climate change. The field of environmental economics is a continuously expanding, multidimensional field, and researchers are increasingly seeking innovative solutions to advance the field.

Keywords

References

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