Social ethics in social entrepreneurship and social innovation: A bibliometric analysis

This research examines the evolution of ethics in social innovation (SI) and entrepreneurship, using bibliometric citation and co-word analysis. From the relevant 210 articles, the current study evaluated four clusters based on the analysis of network visualisation through the VOSviewer software. The four critical research clusters, ethical leadership, governance, institutional logic, and ethical governance were highlighted, and their interconnectedness and theoretical significance were discussed. The findings showed that Saebi, Foss, and Linder recorded the highest citations for their work published in 2023 and the highest number of publications in 2022. The treemap visualises business and ethics leads in the field, followed by environmental science and studies. This work contributes to academic scholarship and practical applications by demonstrating the importance of integrating ethical considerations into the governance and strategic decision-making processes within socially innovative ventures. Ultimately, it presents the essential role of ethics in fostering sustainable, equitable, and impactful solutions to societal challenges.