Trends and patterns in ESG research: A bibliometric odyssey and research agenda

The paper provides a detailed analysis of the ESG literature with the aim of bringingclarity to this area of research and proposing a research agenda. An overview of thedevelopment of the literature on ESG pillars is offered through a review of 903 peer-reviewed articles. The paper identifies four thematic clusters: impacts of ESG disclo-sure and practices, sustainability, accounting, and responsible investments. The mainresearch streams and sub-streams for each cluster are discussed, highlighting themost frequent theoretical perspectives and methodologies. Furthermore, the evolu-tion of ESG research across time is delineated. The paper also identifies futureresearch directions within each cluster to advance knowledge, and proposes an inte-grative framework based on focal themes and their reciprocal connections.