Bibliometric review of social value in construction literature
Date
2024-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
WABER SuDBE Conference 2024
WABER SuDBE Conference 2024
Abstract
The construction industry plays a leading role in the provision of infrastructure projects that promote not only the primary objectives for which a project is intended but also the secondary objectives which relate to wider socio-economic development and social value aspects, as shown in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 10845…2022) 10845 family of standards for construction procurement. While most papers in the construction literature have focused on the primary objectives of infrastructure projects such as costs, time, and quality, relatively little attention has been focused on the secondary objective aspects like economic, environmental, and social sustainability objectives. There has been an increasing focus on the social value aspects of infrastructure projects in recent years. This trend seems likely to increase and directions for future research can be generated from examining the current literature. This paper examines 78 articles relating to social value in construction to explore current understanding and key emerging themes in this area. The 78 articles were identified through a systematic search in Scopus and Google Scholar, then analysed using temporal co-word analysis to generate four key bibliometric themes: social sustainability, social procurement, social value, and employment. Two preliminary conclusions are presented from the bibliometric review. First, while using the ‘social value’ terminology may show this as a relatively new concept flowing from the social sustainability discourse, earlier studies and practices in this area precede the ‘social value’ terminology and appropriate linkages to earlier knowledge should be properly established. Secondly, different terminologies are used to refer to the same concept, creating duplication and significant overlaps across the different terminologies. It would be necessary to consolidate and align the various terminologies for consistency.
Description
This paper presented at the Proceedings of the WABER SuDBE 2024 Conference, 30th – 31st July 2024, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Keywords
Bibliometric review, Construction procurement, Socio-economic development, Social procurement, Social value
Citation
Laryea, Kwasafo and Mensah. (2024). Bibliometric review of social value in construction literature In: Laryea, S. et al. (Eds) Proceedings of the WABER SuDBE Conference, 30 to 31 July 2024, Johannesburg, South Africa 1009-1020.