Lifelong education in economics, business and management research : literature review

Background: Lifelong education includes formal and nonformal forms of learning during an individual's life cycle for the conscious and continuous development of one's quality and the quality of life in society. Objectives: The goal of the research is to identify the most frequent research topics related to lifelong education in economics, business, and management research using a systematic literature review. Methods/Approach: The study analysed 272 lifelong education papers in Business, Management, and Economics journals using bibliometric analysis, text mining, and Provalis Wordstat content analysis, identifying frequent journals, authors, nations, and funding entities. Results: Research on lifelong education, focusing on older adults, critical thinking, quality of life, poverty reduction, professional training, and human capital, is primarily published in the International Journal of Lifelong Education. Four clusters have been identified. Conclusions: The number of lifelong education papers is increasing, primarily published in educational journals. The most common keywords highlight its focus on human capital, supporting economic and social development.