Aug 2026· Applied Sciences· Vol 16, pp. 8279· 0 citations· 79 references
TL;DR
The findings reveal that digital technology governance permeates the entire project lifecycle and garners the most scholarly attention, whereas digital derivatives governance is conspicuously understudied across all lifecycle stages.
Abstract
Driven by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and digital transformation, digital governance of megaprojects has become a key means of advancing sustainability objectives. However, the existing scholarship lacks a holistic understanding of digital governance in megaprojects, and the sustainability-oriented research landscape has yet to be systematically mapped. This study takes the Web of Science Core Collection as the primary data source, complemented by citation tracking, to identify and screen 127 publications published between 2016 and 5 March 2026. Bibliometric analysis is employed to delineate the developmental characteristics and research hotspots of the field. Subsequently, a theoretical analytical framework—Megaproject Sustainable Digital Governance (MSDG)—is constructed, integrating three core dimensions: the project lifecycle, sustainability, and digital governance. Guided by this framework, a coding scheme is developed for the content analysis of the 127 selected papers. The findings reveal that digital technology governance permeates the entire project lifecycle and garners the most scholarly attention, whereas digital derivatives governance is conspicuously understudied across all lifecycle stages. In terms of sustainability, the economic dimension dominates the discourse, while environmental issues are insufficiently represented. This paper aims to map the full landscape of lifecycle-oriented research on sustainable digital governance of megaprojects and proposes two future research agendas to facilitate the transition toward sustainable digital governance.
This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research on digital transformation, ESG performance, environmental uncertainty, and corporate development using a dataset of 288 Scopus-indexed articles and review papers published between 2015 and 2025. Employing bibliometric and science-mapping techniques, the study examines publication trends, thematic evolution, conceptual structures, and emerging research trajectories within the field. The findings reveal a sharp increase in scientific production after 2021, reflecting a broader transition from technology-centered perspectives toward sustainability-oriented and resilience-based approaches. The results indicate that digital transformation and sustainability have become dominant conceptual anchors, whereas governance-oriented ESG mechanisms and uncertainty-aware decision frameworks remain comparatively fragmented and weakly interconnected. This imbalance suggests that existing studies have not yet fully integrated digital capabilities, sustainability governance, resilience, and environmental uncertainty into a coherent framework. By identifying dominant intellectual patterns and persistent conceptual gaps, this study contributes to a more integrated understanding of how digital transformation and ESG-related pressures shape sustainable corporate development under uncertain environmental conditions.
Tang Anh Cuong, Tùng Đỗ Thanh Hoàng, Nhung Thi Hong Nguyen· Aposta: Revista de Ciencias...· 0 citations
The escalating complexity of global sustainability challenges demands a paradigmatic shift in public administration toward smart environmental governance. This science mapping review synthesizes the intellectual architecture, temporal trajectories, and conceptual density of scholarly literature surrounding digitalization and environmental policy across a ten-year publication corpus (2016-2026). Adhering to the PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines, 384 peer-reviewed journal articles were extracted from the Scopus database and analyzed using VOSviewer co-occurrence network, temporal overlay, and conceptual density mapping across 34 core terms within six interconnected thematic clusters. The findings indicate a significant structural evolution from early procedural e-government frameworks centered on administrative digitization toward predictive algorithmic governance, open data infrastructures, and spatial digital twins. Three dominant nodes (public value creation, policy innovation, and smart governance) function as the structural backbone of this multidisciplinary field. However, synthesized thematic analysis demonstrates that technological sophistication does not automatically yield sustainable ecological outcomes. Instead, public sector digitalization generates four systemic institutional frictions: algorithmic opacity versus predictive precision, private vendor dependence versus sovereign data governance, digital policy silos versus cross-sectoral integration, and digital exclusion versus inclusive ecological justice. To address these frictions, this study proposes an Integrated Tri-Pillar Conceptual Framework, asserting that digital environmental governance cannot be treated as a purely technical endeavor or automated tool. It represents a complex institutional negotiation that must reconcile analytical capabilities with public accountability, democratic legitimacy, and social equity to achieve enduring public value creation.
Syed Agung Afandi, Rizki Erdayani, Muslim Afandi et al.· JURNAL RISET PEMBANGUNAN· 0 citations
A Systematic Literature Review that analyzed 61 primary studies selected from 126 initial records reveals a clear association between cost reduction and increased productivity within the economic dimension; waste reduction reflects progress in the environmental dimension; and the improvement of quality and value delivered to stakeholders aligns with the social dimension.
This study analyzes Scopus-indexed papers published from 2020 to 2026 to shed light on how digital transformation enables sustainability-oriented outcomes and whether these contributions seem rooted in organizational change rather than represent aspirational disclosures of sustainability-related information.
I. Suteja, P. Purwanto, Felix Siswanto· Eduvest - Journal Of Univers...· 0 citations
This study examines the evolution and intellectual structure of research on sustainable digital transformation in business systems, focusing on key trends, thematic clusters, and emerging directions at the intersection of digitalization and sustainability. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data extracted from the Scopus database for the period 2010–2025. After applying explicit filtering criteria related to document type, language, subject area, publication period, and topical relevance, a final dataset of publications was analyzed. VOSviewer was used to perform co-occurrence, co-citation, and keyword network analyses, enabling the identification of major research clusters and thematic linkages. The results indicate a rapidly expanding field structured around digital transformation strategies, sustainable business models, artificial intelligence applications, circular economy integration, and governance mechanisms supporting sustainability transitions. The analysis shows a gradual shift from technology-centered digitalization toward integrated frameworks combining innovation with environmental and social sustainability objectives. The study contributes by providing a systematic map of the knowledge structure of sustainable digital transformation and by consolidating fragmented research streams. The findings offer useful insights for managers, policymakers, and researchers interested in integrating digital technologies into resilient and sustainable business models.
Maria Loredana Popescu, Ion Mihai Troacă, Flavius Constantin Nedelcea et al.· New Trends in Sustainable Bu...· 0 citations
The findings show that digital transformation serves as the conceptual hub of the field, connecting traditional e-government research with newer themes in innovation, governance, artificial intelligence, big data, trust, adoption, performance, and post-pandemic public service resilience.
Andrei Trip, Florina Stanciu, O. Lobonț· Development Through Research...· 0 citations
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