The Missing Economics of Rural Circularity

A Comparative Bibliometric Analysis of Circular Economy and Sustainable Rural Development Research

Abstract

Rural circular economy (CE) research has expanded rapidly, yet its relationship with the broader sustainable rural development literature remains insufficiently understood. This study comparatively analyses three overlapping Web of Science corpora comprising 11,196 records retrieved for the 2000–2025 period: circular economy and rural contexts (CE+R), sustainable development and rural contexts (SD+R), and their intersection (SD+CE+R). Performance analysis and science mapping are used to compare publication dynamics, citation structures, disciplinary positioning, geographic distribution, international collaboration, and thematic development. The results reveal three distinct maturity profiles. SD+R constitutes a mature and internationally connected research field, CE+R represents a rapidly expanding but predominantly technical and environmental research stream, while SD+CE+R remains a small emerging niche. Across the three corpora, economics, business models, entrepreneurship, ownership, financing, and value distribution occupy limited positions relative to technical and environmental themes. The findings indicate that the integration of circular economy and sustainable rural development is advancing thematically faster than its disciplinary and collaborative research infrastructure. By contrasting adjacent and overlapping research domains, the analysis distinguishes field-specific characteristics from broader structural patterns in rural sustainability scholarship. The study identifies a persistent economics gap and argues for stronger engagement with business, economic, and rural development perspectives in future circularity research.