Mapping the evolution of workers’ buyouts: From crisis response to strategic succession

Objective. The objective of this study was to map the intellectual structure and historical evolution of research published between 1961 and 2024 on the topic of workers’ buyouts (WBOs). Design/Methodology/Approach. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the academic field was conducted, starting with the identification of 5,302 entries and ultimately resulting in a refined dataset of 1,039 documents selected from the main academic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and EBSCO). The application of semantic validation, Lotka’s Law, Price’s Law, and Bradford’s Law resulted in the identification of patterns pertaining to author productivity, citation concentration, and journal distribution. Results/Discussion. The results indicated a rapidly consolidating field, characterized by a small but influential core of highly cited authors and journals, along with a wide dispersion of peripheral contributions. While the field demonstrated strong internal coherence, the findings also discussed epistemic asymmetries, particularly in terms of geographic and linguistic representation. Conclusion. The study’s conclusion puts forth a series of recommendations for future research endeavors, with the aim of diversifying the field’s theoretical and empirical foundations. The study underscores the significance of aligning scholarly research more closely with the emancipatory potential of WBOs.