Green Innovation and Environmental Governance: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends and Future Directions

This study conducts a systematic bibliometric analysis of the global literature on green innovation and environmental governance, based on 157 peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and July 2025 in the Web of Science database. Using VOSviewer and Scimago Graphica, the study maps keyword clusters, and international collaborations to identify research trends and intellectual foundations. The analysis is guided by five research questions that examine publication trends, leading contributors, influential thematic structures, and future research directions. The results reveal consistent growth in both publications and citations. China dominates global research output in this field, while journals such as Sustainability play leading roles in scholarly dissemination. Keyword clustering reveals five major thematic areas, including environmental regulation, digital innovation, corporate performance, and spatial governance. Recent trends point to a growing emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and the integration of advanced technologies. This study clarifies the field’s structure and thematic development. The findings offer a solid foundation for future research and support the design of more targeted, data-informed studies in green innovation and environmental governance. This study provides the first integrated bibliometric mapping of green innovation and governance research using combined VOSviewer–Scimago analysis.