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Forty-five years of research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development

An overview and research agenda

Bibliographic Data

ID22111140
AuthorsGirish Joshi (0000-0001-8889-3103, Symbiosis International University, corresponding author), Vijay Khandare (0009-0009-1490-6333, Symbiosis International University), Ranjan Dash (0000-0001-9139-4081, Symbiosis International University)
Year2025
Volume11
Issue1
Publication date2025-12-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCogent Social Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2331-1886 • E-ISSN: 2331-1886
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/23311886.2025.2534145
OpenAlexW4412799093
LanguageEN
References cited130

This bibliometric study presents a rich academic correlation between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development in the form of a critical review of trends, significant contributions, and existing gaps in the evolving domain. By adopting citation analysis and thematic mapping, this study established the evolution of topics over time, with the identification of key authors and relevant papers in the field. Thus, the outcome tells a story of shifts and trends in the CSR research domain, arguing about the convergence of corporate social responsibilities with sustainable development goals (SDGs). This critical review highlights gaps in CSR and sustainable development viz. sectoral dynamics and regional disparities, over dependence on western contexts, ignorance of indigenous norms and fragmented political tools to align CSR with SDGs that deserve further research. The findings of the article include under-utilization of the technological resources of developing economies, importance of technical innovation in promoting SDGs through CSR activities, ethical decision-making and stakeholder engagement as means for sustainable development. Thus, this article should help scholars, practitioners, and legislatures to come up with better-informed decision making concerning the ways in which CSR practices can effectively support sustainable development policies

Business · Corporate social responsibility · Political science · Public relations · Research development · Social research · Social science · Sociology · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Sustainability in Higher Education

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Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo

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Open DOIOpen Access
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