Global trade, sustainability, and social impact
Global trade, sustainability, and social impact is a research topic within Strategy and Management. Science Explorer counts 20k research works in it since 1950. 25.5% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers focuses on the governance, dynamics, and impacts of global value chains and production networks, with an emphasis on private governance, standards, upgrading, labor conditions, sustainability, certification schemes, and fair trade. It explores the interactions between state and non-state actors in regulating economic activities across global supply chain networks.
- Global Value Chains
- Production Networks
- Private Governance
- Standards
- Upgrading
- Labor Conditions
- Sustainability
- Certification Schemes
- Supply Chain Networks
- Fair Trade
- Research works
- 20k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 5k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 25.5% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +24% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research?
By volume, the United States and China publish the most (519 and 311 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 519 works
- 2 China 311 works
- 3 United Kingdom 297 works
- 4 Germany 240 works
- 5 Indonesia 219 works
- 6 Brazil 191 works
- 7 India 180 works
- 8 France 159 works
- 9 Italy 132 works
- 10 Australia 112 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 Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy publishes the most Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research, followed by Copenhagen Business School and Wageningen University & Research.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Institute for Peace Research and Security PolicyGermany 37 works
- 2 Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark 28 works
- 3 Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands 17 works
- 4 Universidad de Costa RicaCosta Rica 13 works
- 5 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasArgentina 13 works
- 6 IPB UniversityIndonesia 13 works
- 7 University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom 13 works
- 8 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 12 works
- 9 Universidade de São PauloBrazil 12 works
- 10 University of SussexUnited Kingdom 11 works
Where is Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research done?
The largest centres of Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), London (United Kingdom), Paris (France) and Hamburg (Germany). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Hamburg.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 Beijing China 71 works
- 2 London United Kingdom 63 works
- 3 Paris France 47 works
- 4 Hamburg Germany 46 works
- 5 Jakarta Indonesia 37 works
- 6 Copenhagen Denmark 36 works
- 7 Tokyo Japan 35 works
- 8 New Delhi India 35 works
- 9 Buenos Aires Argentina 33 works
- 10 São Paulo Brazil 33 works
Where it is the local speciality
- HamburgDE · 46.1 works7.5×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Global trade, sustainability, and social impact than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Global trade, sustainability, and social impact?
Among universities, judged by research, University of Sussex, Wageningen University & Research 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 SussexUnited Kingdom | 68.5 | 50.2% | 14.7× | 11 | +23.5% |
| 2 | Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands | 67.7 | 35.8% | 12.2× | 17 | +3.8% |
| 3 | Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark | 64.5 | 23.7% | 43.6× | 28 | +22.9% |
| 4 | Universidad de Costa RicaCosta Rica | 52.4 | 7.0% | 18.3× | 13 | +169.8% |
| 5 | University of BonnGermany | 47.5 | 31.5% | 7.2× | 9 | +48.7% |
| 6 | University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom | 46.8 | 38.0% | 4.3× | 13 | +23.1% |
| 7 | IPB UniversityIndonesia | 42.3 | 14.0% | 5.8× | 13 | +389.3% |
| 8 | University of JohannesburgSouth Africa | 40.9 | 27.9% | 4.1× | 10 | +110.3% |
| 9 | KU LeuvenBelgium | 39.4 | 31.5% | 2.8× | 10 | +88.8% |
| 10 | University of OxfordUnited Kingdom | 37.5 | 32.9% | 2.5× | 12 | +6.4% |
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 Global trade, sustainability, and social impact research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 24% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Global trade, sustainability, 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.