UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH TRENDS AND EMERGING DIRECTIONS IN SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

The economic, technological, and environmental transformations of recent decades have spurred research in the field of sustainable competitiveness, reflecting the need to integrate competitive performance with sustainable development goals. The aim of this research is to identify and systematize the main trends, directions, and thematic structures identified in studies on sustainable competitiveness, using methods specific to bibliometric analysis. The study is descriptive and retrospective in nature and is based on a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the Scopus database from 2000 to 2026. The final dataset comprises 534 publications, processed using the Biblioshiny application through an analysis of scientific productivity, term dynamics, keyword co-occurrence, and thematic structure. The results reveal an annual publication growth rate of 14.12% and a shift from approaches centered on resource-based theory toward integrated perspectives that include the relationship between competitiveness and sustainable development; the role of intangible resources, innovation, and organizational capabilities; and the integration of green, digital, and ESG dimensions. Emerging themes include digital transformation, green innovation, the circular economy, and dynamic organizational capabilities.