From Mechanization to Sustainability: A Bibliometric Exploration of Industrialization Research Trends and Conceptual Frameworks

Given that there is no bibliometric study exhibiting dynamics of industrialization research, the present study conducts its comprehensive bibliometric analysis and maps its conceptual structure on the basis of 1,377 journal documents published between 2000 and 2025 and sourced from the Scopus database. The study’s findings reveal a sharp increase in scholarly contributions on industrialization over the past two decades, with the United States and Spain leading in terms of both volume and impact. At the level of authorship, prominent authors, namely Merigo JM, Porter AL and Kostoff RN, emerge as central figures, collectively shaping a large portion of the field. Journals, namely Technological Forecasting and Social Change and Research Policy, provide the maximum and most frequent publication outlets. Six main subject clusters, including innovation, industrial policy, sustainability, Industry 4.0, economic changes and market competition, structure the conceptual frameworks of the industrialization research, showing its development from conventional mechanization to sophisticated automation and finally to the new paradigm of sustainable industrialization. The study emphasizes that future research should critically assess policy effectiveness, technological transitions and sustainability strategies to build resilient, innovative and green industrial ecosystems across diverse economies.