Bibliometric Analysis of the Publications of Law and Local Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22579/23463910.1182Keywords:
Law, local development, regional economy, governance, public policy, social equity, sustainabilityAbstract
Problematic. The law serves as a tool for implementing public policies that support local development. However, the relationships between legal frameworks and local development is intricate and influenced by various socio-economic factors. Objectives. The study aims to assess the scientific literature concerning the role of law in local development and its impact. Materials and Methods. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using literature from 2004 to July 2024, retrieved from the Scopus database. Network analysis was applied to examine relationships between authors and identify current trends in the field. The study was complemented by multivariate statistical methods and generative probabilistic models for analysis. Results. An increase in academic production on law and local development has been observed since 2010, peaking in 2021. The network analysis reveals the existence of numerous collaboration points among institutions and authors from various countries, indicating a dynamic exchange of knowledge. Similarly, the identification of key words such as "governance", "equity", "justice" and "social participation" are important in the current academic landscape, according to the topic modeling. Discussion. The bibliometric analysis highlights patterns of interdisciplinary collaboration and emerging research themes in research in the study of law and local development. Limitations in the representation of studies exist due to reliance on databases covering specific languages and publications types. Conclusions. Interdisciplinary collaboration is evident in research on law and local development. The findings indicate that enhancing legal frameworks can play a crucial role in promoting local development. This study provides a strong foundation for further research aiming to delve deeper into the subject. Contribution/Originality. This study offers a theoretical framework to guide future research and the development of public policies that address local needs.
References
Albalawi, R., Yeap, T. H., & Benyoucef, M. (2020). Using topic modeling methods for short-text data: A comparative analysis. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2020.00042
Ali, A., Ramakrishnan, S., Faisal, F., Akram, T., Salam, S., & Rahman, S. U. (2023). Bibliometric analysis of finance and natural resources: past trend, current development, and future prospects. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 25(11), 13035–13064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02602-1
Bahroun, Z., Anane, C., Ahmed, V., & Zacca, A. (2023). Transforming education: a comprehensive review of generative artificial intelligence in educational settings through bibliometric and content analysis. Sustainability, 15(17), 12983. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712983
Casanovas, P., de Koker, L., & Hashmi, M. (2022). Law, socio-legal governance, the internet of things, and industry 4.0: A middle-out/inside-out approach. J, 5(1), 64–91. https://doi.org/10.3390/j5010005
Castillo, R. Y., Vivanco, M., Rincón, M. B., & Hurtado, J. (2022). Evaluación de la estructura económica y regional en el estado de Querétaro (2014-2019). Suma de Negocios, 13(29), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2022.V13.N29.A3
Castro, C., Leiva, V., Garrido, D., Huerta, M., & Minatogawa, V. (2024). Blockchain in clinical trials: Bibliometric and network studies of applications, challenges, and future prospects based on data analytics. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 255, 108321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpb.2024.108321
González-Argote, J., Sánchez-Castillo, V., & Gómez Cano, C. A. (2024). Economía verde, estado del campo y líneas futuras en el marco del desarrollo sostenible. Suma de Negocios, 15(32), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2024.V15.N32.A8
Hansen, T. (2022). The foundational economy and regional development. Regional Studies, 56(6), 1033–1042. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1939860
Kwiek, M., Horta, H., & Powell, J. J. W. (2024). Using large‐scale bibliometric data in higher education research: Methodological implications from three studies. Higher Education Quarterly, 78(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12512
Lee, Y.-S. (2021). Law and development. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003090175
Lizarazo-Rodríguez, L. (2021). Approaches to Law and Development. In Encyclopedia of Law and Development. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788117975.00009
Lv, T., Wang, L., Xie, H., Zhang, X., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Exploring the global research trends of land use planning based on a bibliometric analysis: Current status and future prospects. Land, 10(3), 304. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030304
Madzík, P., & Falát, L. (2022). State-of-the-art on analytic hierarchy process in the last 40 years: Literature review based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling. PLOS ONE, 17(5), e0268777. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268777
Marat, E., & McCarthy, L. A. (2021). Justice, crime and citizenship in Eurasia: A socio-legal perspective. Europe-Asia Studies, 73(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2020.1844964
Mendoza Reyna, R. P., Vela Meléndez, L., & Dávila Cisneros, J. D. (2024). La gobernanza y la optimización del gasto público. Una revisión de literatura. Suma de Negocios, 15(32), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2024.V15.N32.A7
Mercadal Cuesta, D. (2024). Análisis bibliométrico de las publicaciones en revistas españolas de Derecho en Web of Science (2018-2023). Revista EDICIC, 4, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.62758/re.4124
Mitra, A., & Das, D. (2018). Inclusive growth: Economics as if People Mattered. Global Business Review, 19(3), 756–770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150917713840
Moed, H. F. (2017). Applied evaluative informetrics. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60522-7
Nedanovski, P., & Shapkova Kocevska, K. (2023). Rule of law and economic growth: Evidences from South East Europe. Journal of Economic Development Studies, 12(3), 45–60.
Nuotio, K. (2021). Towards a Global Rule of Law: Global Law in the Context of Law and Development Studies. In M. W. Dowdle & M. Andenas (Eds.), Law as passion (pp. 25–47). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63501-5_2
Ragazou, K., Passas, I., Garefalakis, A., Galariotis, E., & Zopounidis, C. (2023). Big data analytics applications in information management driving operational efficiencies and decision-making: Mapping the field of knowledge with bibliometric analysis using R. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 7(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc7010013
Ramanujam, N., & Farrington, F. (2022). The rule of law, governance and development. In In W. McCourt & D. S. Davis (Eds.), Handbook on Governance and Development (pp. 160–178). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789908756.00020
Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K., Appolloni, A., Kayikci, Y., & Iranmanesh, M. (2023). The landscape of public procurement research: a bibliometric analysis and topic modelling based on Scopus. Journal of Public Procurement, 23(2), 145–178. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-06-2022-0031
Tamascelli, N., Campari, A., Parhizkar, T., & Paltrinieri, N. (2024). Artificial Intelligence for safety and reliability: A descriptive, bibliometric and interpretative review on machine learning. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 90, 105343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2024.105343
Xie, H., Zhang, Y., Wu, Z., & Lv, T. (2020). A Bibliometric Analysis on Land Degradation: Current Status, Development, and Future Directions. Land, 9(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9010028
Yigitcanlar, T., Corchado, J. M., Mehmood, R., Li, R. Y. M., Mossberger, K., & Desouza, K. (2021). Responsible urban innovation with local government artificial intelligence (AI): A conceptual framework and research agenda. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010071
Zhang, Y., Zhang, G., Chen, H., Porter, A. L., Zhu, D., & Lu, J. (2016). Topic analysis and forecasting for science, technology and innovation: Methodology with a case study focusing on big data research. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 105, 179–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.01.015
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 María Benilde Rincón-García

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The author must review the editorial policy of the GEON Journal.
To increase their visibility, documents are sent to databases and indexing systems.
The content of the articles is the responsibility of each author and does not compromise, in any way, the magazine or the institution.