Research trends and hotspots in bioeconomy impact analysis: a study of economic, social and environmental impacts

In recent years, the Bioeconomy has gained increasing global attention. It is seen as a chance to focus on a sustainable mode of production and consumption. This new economic paradigm is characterized by economic, environmental, and social challenges and opportunities. Therefore, to implement the Bioeconomy as a strategy, it is necessary to be able to assess its impact. However, when it comes to measuring the bioeconomy, there is a lack of consensus on the methodologies and variables used, which leads to difficulties in its analysis and implementation. To address this issue, this article performs a literature analysis using SCOPUS. The main objective is to analyse the existing methodologies that can adequately measure the bioeconomy social, economic, and environmental impacts. First, a descriptive analysis of publication trends and a relational analysis of keyword networks and authors' collaboration have been carried out. This paper then analyses and classifies the different methodologies used, as well as variables and databases that are considered to measure the bioeconomy impact. The results show that the existing literature has been enriched in the analysis of the environmental and economic assessment, however, there is still a long way to go in the research on the analysis of social impact. It also identifies the variables that have received the most attention and the future lines of work. Therefore, the results are interesting for researchers, businesses, and policy decision-makers to help assess the impact of implementing policies or business case studies and move towards the promotion of the Bioeconomy.