SENIOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION AND RESEARCH AGENDA
Keywords:
Senior entrepreneurship, Population aging, Bibliometric analysis, Innovation and work in maturity, Scientific productionAbstract
This study analyzes the scientific production on senior entrepreneurship through a bibliometric review, considering the context of population aging and its economic and social impacts. The objective was to map the evolution of the field, identify trends, main authors, collaboration networks, and research gaps. To this end, 215 articles were collected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, analyzed using the Bibliometrix package, with the support of Excel and the Miro platform for visualizations. The results indicate consistent growth in publications, especially from 2015 onwards, with a concentration in developed countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and still fragmented collaboration networks. The thematic mapping revealed central themes such as the transition to self-employment, retirement, gender, and innovation, while aspects such as microenterprise performance and entrepreneurial behavior remain emerging. In addition, gaps related to financing, technology, diversity, and contexts in developing countries were identified. It is concluded that senior entrepreneurship constitutes an expanding field, with the potential to advance theoretically and contribute to public policies aimed at the productive inclusion of the aging population.
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