Community Development and Social Impact
Community Development and Social Impact is a research topic within Finance. Science Explorer counts 12k research works in it since 1950. 20.3% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the intersection of finance and social policy through the lens of impact investing, with a focus on social impact bonds, outcomes measurement, marketization, and sustainable development. It delves into the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations in leveraging private finance for public goods and evaluating the impact of such investments.
- Impact Investing
- Social Impact Bonds
- Finance
- Social Finance
- Investment
- Policy
- Outcomes Measurement
- Philanthropy
- Marketization
- Sustainable Development
- Research works
- 12k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 2.4k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 20.3% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +32% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Community Development and Social Impact research?
By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (472 and 302 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 472 works
- 2 United Kingdom 302 works
- 3 Australia 180 works
- 4 South Africa 140 works
- 5 India 130 works
- 6 Canada 118 works
- 7 Italy 110 works
- 8 Indonesia 98 works
- 9 France 94 works
- 10 Germany 88 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Community Development and Social Impact research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Copenhagen Business School publishes the most Community Development and Social Impact research, followed by University of Johannesburg and University of South Africa.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark 18 works
- 2 University of JohannesburgSouth Africa 17 works
- 3 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 13 works
- 4 Florida Atlantic UniversityUnited States 13 works
- 5 University of KwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa 12 works
- 6 Stevens Institute of TechnologyUnited States 12 works
- 7 University of the WitwatersrandSouth Africa 11 works
- 8 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 11 works
- 9 Stellenbosch UniversitySouth Africa 11 works
- 10 The University of Western AustraliaAustralia 10 works
Who are the leading researchers in Community Development and Social Impact?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Community Development and Social Impact include Michael E. Porter and David B. Audretsch.
- 1 Michael E. Porter United States 4.7k citations
- 2 David B. Audretsch United States 3.7k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Community Development and Social Impact research done?
The largest centres of Community Development and Social Impact research in 2022–2025 are London (United Kingdom), Melbourne (Australia), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Sydney (Australia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Johannesburg.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 London United Kingdom 74 works
- 2 Melbourne Australia 36 works
- 3 Johannesburg South Africa 31 works
- 4 Sydney Australia 29 works
- 5 Pretoria South Africa 28 works
- 6 Washington D.C. United States 27 works
- 7 Rome Italy 26 works
- 8 New York United States 24 works
- 9 Paris France 23 works
- 10 Brisbane Australia 23 works
Where it is the local speciality
- JohannesburgZA · 30.9 works9.1×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Community Development and Social Impact than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Community Development and Social Impact?
Among universities, judged by research, University of Johannesburg, University of the Witwatersrand and Copenhagen Business School score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of JohannesburgSouth Africa | 74.7 | 27.4% | 9.8× | 17 | +51.8% |
| 2 | University of the WitwatersrandSouth Africa | 72.9 | 26.4% | 9.6× | 11 | +156.9% |
| 3 | Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark | 70.4 | 20.1% | 40.5× | 18 | +50.2% |
| 4 | University of GhanaGhana | 63.6 | 28.5% | 13.6× | 8 | +95.2% |
| 5 | University of South AfricaSouth Africa | 58.8 | 18.3% | 10.9× | 13 | +51.1% |
| 6 | University of ZambiaZambia | 54.0 | 8.4% | 25.9× | 10 | — |
| 7 | University of KwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa | 50.4 | 11.3% | 12.0× | 12 | +20.2% |
| 8 | The University of Western AustraliaAustralia | 50.4 | 10.3% | 9.7× | 10 | +34.9% |
| 9 | University of OxfordUnited Kingdom | 49.2 | 32.4% | 3.1× | 11 | +71.7% |
| 10 | Stellenbosch UniversitySouth Africa | 46.7 | 13.4% | 10.3× | 11 | -6.8% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Community Development and Social Impact research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 32% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Community Development and Social Impact.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.