A bibliometric study of social capital in family businesses research: temporal and pattern analysis

Abstract

Social capital (SC) has attracted growing attention in family business (FB) research due to its critical role in value creation, business growth, and the sustainability of competitive advantages. This study provides a systematic and up-to-date synthesis of SC in FB research by mapping its intellectual structure, identifying influential authors and publications, and clarifying the conceptual evolution of the field. The study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 633 SC-related FB publications indexed in Scopus between 1980 and 2025. Using science-mapping techniques and a temporal perspective, the analysis traces the evolution of research themes, identifies dominant clusters, identifies the most debated topics and connects emerging research streams. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to ensure transparency and rigor in the identification and selection of relevant studies. The findings reveal a clear three-phase development of SC research in family businesses (FBs)—Emergent, Scaling, and Expansion—characterized by increasing thematic integration and conceptual consolidation over the past four decades. The analysis identifies distinct schools of thought and highlights a shift from fragmented, relational perspectives toward more strategic and capability-oriented approaches to SC in FBs. This study advances FB research by providing the first comprehensive bibliometric synthesis of SC scholarship in FBs over four decades. The study further extends existing research by systematically comparing SC scholarship in FBs with the broader small business literature, thereby identifying conceptual gaps, limits to transferability, and boundary conditions specific to family-controlled firms.