Analysis of Domestic and International Green Infrastructure Research Trends from the ESG Perspective in South Korea

Abstract

Government-level ESG (environmental, social, and governance) institutionalization and active ESG activation in the private sector are being discussed for the first time this year in Korea, spurred by increased national interest since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the declaration of a carbon-neutral society by 2050, and ESG discussion in many fields is spreading rapidly. In addition, global awareness of the crisis caused by environmental pollution and natural disasters has highlighted the importance of green infrastructure (GI) as a new conceptual alternative to improve public value. Based on sustainability, which is a common goal of ESG and green infrastructure, this study aimed to examine the research targets and techniques of green infrastructure from the perspective of ESG. This study selected and analyzed 98 domestic and international academic journal papers published over the past 10 years in the Web of Science academic journal database literature collection. Focusing on the research subjects, the focus on green infrastructure, and research keywords, we examined the aspects of the green infrastructure plan that have been focused on from the ESG perspective and compared domestic and international research trends. In addition, implications for how each research topic is connected to the concept of ESG according to its function and purpose were derived. By examining the domestic and international research trends of green infrastructure from the ESG perspective, we identified the need for a wider range of research on the diversity and relationship between humans and the ecological environment; policies and systems; and technical research that does not focus only on a specific field. In this regard, we intend to increase the contribution to ESG management in the public sector through the establishment of green infrastructure plans and policies in the future, as they account for a large portion of public capital.

Research on the Impact of Enterprise ESG Ratings on Carbon Emissions from a Spatial Perspective

“…In the future, the coordinated development of inter-city policies will become the main development direction, and determining how to break inter-regional barriers will become the research focus. Considering that the lag effect of the first phase is still significant, increasing green infrastructure construction from the perspective of ESG development still has a significant effect [57]. It is recommended that the government develop a comprehensive ESG policy framework to promote not only the ESG rating performance of enterprises, but also the ESG rating performance of society as a whole.…”

Research trends of sustainability and marketing research, 2010–2020: Topic modeling analysis

“…First, this study will inform scholars and practitioners regarding the trends and proportion of topics on sustainability and all three perspectives of marketing (micro-, meso-, and macro-marketing). This will inform researchers that the research range of sustainability and marketing is not limited to business-to-consumer relationship marketing [ 9 , 17 , 19 , 42 , 55 ], and highlighting how companies are environmentally friendly in the market [ 7 , 26 , 29 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 70 ]. Sustainability requires interdisciplinary study, and some argue that it is more interdisciplinary than other general scientific research.…”

“…This sustainability dominant perspective of businesses specifically emphasizes economic growth concerning market and consumption and technological solutions for environmental and social problems [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. Moreover, following the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainability has become a topic of discussion worldwide, and several companies and organizations have proposed sustainable frameworks for both businesses and societies as a response to serious environmental, societal, and financial issues [ [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] ]. In such periods of anxious turbulence, marketing scholars and practitioners recognize that sustainability is a well-known matter in every business sector [ 1 , 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Sustainability has been on the list of global megatrends since the concept first appeared at the United Nations (UN) conference in 1972, where numerous disciplines raised ethical issues [ 9 , 16 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ], where numerous from various disciplines raised ethical issues [ 6 , 26 ]. It has become an imperative research topic with varying interpretations and contrasting viewpoints and is generally associated with a positive moral standing in social understanding and academic discourse [ 6 , 22 , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] ].…”

How ESG Contribute to the High-Quality Development of State-Owned Enterprise in China: A Multi-Stage fsQCA Method

“…ESG is a sustainable development concept reflecting the integration of environment, society, and governance by firms [24][25][26], and it also coincides with the intension requirements of high-quality development of firms. Environmental score is reflected in a firm's ability to effectively address and continuously optimize the results of its environmental-related governance, such as its sewage system and resource allocation, which can help firms develop a competitive advantage.…”