Mapping Government Efficiency and Public Expenditure Management: A Bibliometric Analysis (2010-2025)
Authors
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Ahadbek Zhaksylykov
KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
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Francis Amagoh
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31489/2026FEB1/1392Keywords:
government efficiency, public expenditure, bibliometric analysis, public sector management, public sector efficiency, fiscal governanceAbstract
This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of global research on government efficiency and public expenditure management. The analysis is based on a total of 1,522 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database (as of 30 May 2025) that were published between 2010 and 2025. The analyzed publications were then mapped using VOSviewer software based on co-authorship, citation, keywords, and bibliographic coupling of the analyzed publications. Our study reveals three distinct research clusters on government efficiency and public expenditure management: governance, studies on fiscal policy and studies on performance measurement in the public sector. Importantly, the number of publications has sharply increased from 2020 onwards. We can hypothesize that the global health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic stimulated research on efficient government and on effective public expenditure management worldwide. Furthermore, our study pinpoints leading authors, leading research institutions, very productive regions and countries of the world as well as considerable research gaps for transitional and developing economies in Central and Eastern Europe, in Asia and in Latin America. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on government efficiency and public expenditure management by means of a systematic, globally oriented and data-based analysis of the subject matter studied by researchers. The results of this research are intended for use by scholars, by policy makers and by institutions. The study reveals significant research gaps in transitional economies, as well as possible research avenues. The study can function as a reference work for evidence-based decisions by government, other public sector bodies and business, in order to improve public sector performance.
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