<![CDATA[This study examines the evolution of research on socioemotional wealth (SEW) and innovation in family firms and explains how SEW shapes innovation through enabling and constraining mechanisms. An integrated bibliometric review and thematic synthesis was conducted on 200 Scopus-indexed documents published between 2013 and 2026. The bibliometric review inspected publication patterns, author-keyword co-occurrence, and thematic development, while thematic analysis of the titles, abstracts, and author keywords of all publications demonstrated recurring explanations of the SEW–innovation relationship. The findings indicate that the field has expanded rapidly and diversified into green innovation, digital transformation, governance, sustainability, and emerging economies. SEW can strengthen innovation through long-term orientation, family identity and reputation, social ties, commitment, and organizational capabilities, but can constrain innovation through risk aversion, control preservation, and limited reliance on external resources. These effects vary across SEW dimensions, family ownership and governance, and innovation types. Integrating these findings, this study proposes a preservation–renewal interpretation in which innovation may threaten existing SEW while also helping family firms sustain or recreate socioemotional value for the future.]]>
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