Green Entrepreneurship in Emerging and Developed Economies: A Systematic Literature Review
Loui Maie De La Fuente
Discipline: business studies
Abstract:
Since the United Nations introduced the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) in 2015, green entrepreneurship has become a central pillar of the
sustainability discourse. This study presents a systematic literature review of
empirical research published between 2015 and 2025 to examine the intersection
of environmental sustainability and business innovation. Despite the field's
growth, research remains fragmented, with a notable lack of geographic diversity
and qualitative depth. This review addresses these gaps by analyzing 22 peerreviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science, focusing on data sources,
geographic settings, and variable use. Findings reveal a significant geographical
concentration in Asian emerging markets, which account for 81.82% of the studies.
Methodologically, the field is dominated by quantitative approaches, specifically
correlation and survey regression (63.64%), which primarily capture students’ and
SME managers' green entrepreneurial intentions. The analysis identifies a
conceptual shift in which green entrepreneurship serves either as an independent
variable driving environmental performance or as a dependent variable shaped
by education and individual values. Recent trends indicate an increasing use of
complex modeling to examine how mediating factors, such as green innovation,
align ecological responsibility with financial performance. By explicitly
identifying the current reliance on quantitative data from specific regions, this
review lays the foundation for future policy and academic inquiry into
underrepresented markets and the qualitative drivers of green innovation.
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