A general analysis of sustainability, institutions, and emerging economies

This paper draws from multiple streams of research to present an integrated overview of the research on sustainability in business practices in an international context by using institutional theory. A brief review of the research on institutional theory and on sustainability is presented. The body of literature is examined with a focus on integrating the two research streams, evaluating their merits, and identifying some gaps in the literature. This examination also includes how variations in institutions contribute to differences in sustainable business practices between developed and emerging countries. This paper offers a comprehensive discussion of the current state of research as well potential direction for future research which includes further analysis of institutional environments, awareness raising of stakeholders on sustainable development institutional environments, and adoption of quantitative modelling approaches for institutional sustainable development research.