CONHECIMENTO CIENTIFICO SOBRE COMERCIO JUSTO: UM ESTUDO BIBLIOMETRICO DE 2001 A 2013/SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ON FAIR TRADE: A BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY FROM 2001 TO 2013

This study aims to identify the dominant theoretical approaches in international research on the Fair Trade topic. Although it is still a relatively new field of study, Fair Trade already counts with a big amount of information. The present study sought to examine all publications on the subject, from January 2001 to December 2013, indexed in the Web of Science database. Methodologically, we adopted a bibliometric study, mainly analyzing citations and co-citations; we found a total of 235 articles published in the period. The main result culminated in the discovery, illustrated in a map, of a new way of structuring the subject of research. Furthermore, we identified that the main research gap would be to establish strategies for operationalization of the theme, which is based mainly on the consumers' distress to exercise a positive attitude in purchasing a Fair Trade product. In this sense, the findings show, overall, that the Fair Trade field should be a search target for researchers, highlighting the need to quickly develop more consolidated strategies. Based on these ideas, we suggest some theoretical and practical implications in order to develop this field of study.