Mapping the Evolution of Local Government Governance Research:  Insights from Scopus Data and VOSviewer Visualization

Ismail Abdullah; Rahmat Abd Fatah

doi:10.52046/jssh.v5i2.2746

Authors

Ismail Abdullah Universitas Terbuka , Indonesia
Rahmat Abd Fatah Universitas Muhammadiyah Maluku Utara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52046/jssh.v5i2.2746

Keywords:

Local Government, Governance, Bibliometric Analysis, VOSviewer, Digital Governance

Abstract

This study aims to map the evolution of local government governance research using a bibliometric approach based on Scopus data and VOSviewer visualization for the period 2020–2025. The method employed is quantitative bibliometric analysis combined with network analysis of 368 selected articles from an initial dataset of 4,601 documents. The findings reveal a significant increase in publication output, accompanied by a shift in research focus toward digital governance, sustainability governance, and data-driven policy. Two main clusters are identified: participatory governance, which emphasizes public participation, transparency, and accountability; and empirical governance, which focuses on performance, environmental regulation, and economic impacts. These results indicate a paradigm shift from normative approaches toward evidence-based and technology-driven governance. Additionally, the study highlights geographical disparities in knowledge production, with China, the United States, and the United Kingdom dominating the global literature. This research contributes both theoretically and practically by providing a comprehensive mapping of knowledge and serving as a foundation for future governance research and policy development.

Author Biographies

Ismail Abdullah, Universitas Terbuka

Program Studi Ilmu Pemerintahan Universitas Terbuka, Ternate, Indonesia

Rahmat Abd Fatah, Universitas Muhammadiyah Maluku Utara

Program Studi Sosiologi Universitas Muhammadiyah Maluku Utara, Indonesia.

References

Ansell, C., Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2023). Public administration and politics meet turbulence: The search for robust governance responses. Public Administration, 101(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12874

Arnold, G., Ludwick, S., Mohsen Fatemi, S., Krause, R., & Long, L. A. N. (2025). Policy entrepreneurship for transformative governance. European Policy Analysis, 11(3), 368–393. https://doi.org/10.1002/epa2.1222

Ayodele, O., Plantinga, P., Sanchez-Bentacourt, D., Dlamini, S., & Dlamini, N. (2025). How Do Researchers and Public Officials Co-Navigate e-Participation Implementation? An Action-Research Experience with South African Municipalities. Systems, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13020125

Bastos, P., Andrade, V., & Consoni, F. L. (2025). Driving public transit decarbonization: the role of international cooperation missions on battery-electric bus adoption in Latin America. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101678

Bruno, A. S. (2025). Mobility in European Policies: A Social Right for Urban “Publicness.” Revista de Estudos Constitucionais, Hermeneutica e Teoria Do Direito, 17(2), 173–188. https://doi.org/10.4013/rechtd.2025.172.02

Callanan, M. (2020). Europe and the rescaling of domestic territorial governance in Ireland. Regional and Federal Studies, 30(2), 175–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2018.1491843

Chen, J., Liu, M., Gong, L., & Chang, C. (2025). The physical and virtual presence of the local state and citizens’ life satisfaction in urbanising China. Urban Studies, 62(7), 1334–1357. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241285831

Dai, J., Wang, Q., Zhou, X., & Qi, X. (2025). Drivers of Public Welfare Land Ratios for Regional Development in China: A Central–Local Interaction Perspective. Land, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061208

Deng, H., & Zhang, Y. (2025). The governance anticommons in renewable energy: two cases from China’s solar expansion. Sustainability Science, 20(4), 1421–1432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01697-5

Dikken, J., Kazak, J. K., Pavlovski, D., Ivan, L., Ayalon, L., Perek-Białas, J. M., & van Hoof, J. (2025). Four European typologies of older adults concerning environmental sustainability. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.115276

Filgueiras, F., Lui, L., Rosa, T. G., & Candido Ferreira, G. (2025). The institutional design of data governance in Brazil: entropy, restrictiveness and institutional grammar. Policy Design and Practice, 8(1), 64–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2025.2460838

He, B., & Homburg, V. (2025). Factors influencing accessible electronic service delivery in Chinese municipalities: a comparative analysis. Local Government Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2025.2604031

Jiang, L., & Ma, T. (2025). Adaptive Governance and Policy Evolution of the Yangtze River Fishing Ban: A Quantitative Analysis (2002–2024). Water (Switzerland), 17(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213032

Jin, X., Rashid Sumaila, U., Yin, K., & Qi, Z. (2021). Evaluation of the policy effect of China’s environmental interview system for effective air quality governance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9006. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179006

Kondo, Y., Fujisawa, E., Ishikawa, K., Nakahara, S., Matsushita, K., Asano, S., Kamatani, K., Suetsugu, S., Kano, K., Kumazawa, T., Sato, K., & Okuda, N. (2021). Community capability building for environmental conservation in Lake Biwa (Japan) through an adaptive and abductive approach. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 3(2), 167–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00078-3

Leonard, L. (2022). Climate Change Impacts and Challenges of Combating Food Insecurity in Rural Somkhele, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316023

Liu, Y., & He, S. (2025). Financialization of China’s urban redevelopment:A case study of Guangzhou City. Progress in Geography, 44(11), 2250–2262. https://doi.org/10.18306/dlkxjz.2025.11.003

Lü, M., Wu, Q., Yang, X., Cheng, H., Xiao, H., Sun, Y., Li, D., & Xu, Q. (2022). Numerical simulation study on volatile organic compounds emissions and its effects from gas stations in Xi’an. Huanjing Kexue Xuebao/Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae, 42(5), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.13671/j.hjkxxb.2021.0509

Oludu, O. V, Kaya, T., & Karagozlu, D. (2025). Citizens’ preference for e-participatory governance. PLoS ONE, 20(2 February). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306268

Osborne, C., Mayo, L., & Bussey, M. (2021). New frontiers in local government community engagement: Towards transformative place-based futures. Futures, 131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2021.102768

Pan, L., Huang, K., & Wang, Z. (2025). Local government debt and corporate stock liquidity: Evidence from China. International Review of Financial Analysis, 104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104318

Paranata, A. (2025). A Systematic Literature Review of Anti-corruption Policy: A Future Research Agenda in Indonesia. Public Organization Review, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-025-00847-8

Pettrachin, A., & Solano, G. (2025). The Political Drivers of Horizontal Governance Relations in Small Localities: Evidence from a Cross-Country and Cross-Locality Study Across Seven Western European Countries. Urban Affairs Review, 61(4), 992–1029. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874241270050

Polizzi, E., & Bassoli, M. (2020). All smoke, no fire? Sharing practices and political investment in two Italian cities. Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Politica, 50(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2019.12

Polman, D. (2025). Policymaking for circular urban food systems: A systematic literature review of policy instruments and governance arrangements. Regional Science Policy and Practice, 17(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100250

Raja, S. I., & Larsson, J. P. (2025). Have City Deals delivered higher productivity in England? An empirical assessment of a broad-spectrum local growth policy. Urban Studies, 62(6), 1141–1167. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241270993

Samosir, H., Siregar, T., Reba, Y. A., Muttaqin, M. Z., Hussain, F., & Samosir, R. C. (2025). People’s mining governance and ecological impacts in Jayapura City (1998-2024). Jurnal Hukum Novelty, 16(2), 234–261. https://doi.org/10.26555/jhn.v16i2.30371

Scelza, S., Costa, V., Delponte, I., & Schenone, C. (2025). Shaping Europe’s sustainable energy policy: what the first decade of Covenant of Mayors tells us about future perspectives. International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14786451.2025.2527086

Sharma, G., Namchu, C., Nyima, K., Luitel, M., Singh, S., & Goodrich, C. G. (2020). Water management systems of two towns in the Eastern Himalaya: Case studies of Singtam in Sikkim and Kalimpong in West Bengal states of India. Water Policy, 22, 107–129. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.229

Sharma, N. K., Hargreaves, T., & Pallett, H. (2023). Social justice implications of smart urban technologies: an intersectional approach. Buildings and Cities, 4(1), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.290

Sun, J., Sun, X., & Wang, Y. (2025). Does Tax Competition Among Local Governments Improve the Green Economic Efficiency in the Yellow River Basin? Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115165

Sun, Y., Deng, Y., & Zheng, H. (2025). Can Innovation Attract Government-Guided Funds? - Empirical Evidence from Chinese A-Share Listed Companies. Fluctuation and Noise Letters, 24(4). https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219477525500488

Sun, Y., Tang, L., & Jiang, X. (2025). Combating over-commercialization in ecotourism through collaborative governance: A game-theoretic modeling analysis. Ecological Modelling, 508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111194

Sun, Y., Ye, S., Zhong, W., & Guo, R. (2025). Collaborative governance in urban water area conservation: Strategies for mitigating blue space encroachment. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102862

Susilo, P. D., Wijayanto, D., Mudzakir, A. K., Suherman, A., & Wibowo, B. A. (2025). Optimizing Port Governance to Boost Fishermen Productivity: A Case Study of PPN Pekalongan. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 29(6), 3267–3286. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2025.446007.7066

Tahawa, T. H. B., Saudi, A. I., Fauzan, M., Ichsan, H., & Ghazali, R. (2025). Governance and Sustainable Pathways to Food Security: The Critical Role of Fiscal Capacity and Logistical Infrastructure. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 20(12), 5481–5490. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.201237

van den Boogaard, V., & Santoro, F. (2023). Co-financing community-driven development through informal taxation: Evidence from south-central Somalia. Governance, 36(2), 499–531. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12678

Wang, L., Li, X., Ye, Z., Zhang, S., Zhang, X., & Jing, L. (2025). The ongoing impact of policy documents on the pandemic based on the framework of the “4Rs” theory and policy tools: in China. BMC Public Health, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22504-x

Wong, C. (2025). Local Government Debt in China: The 2023 Bailout and Future Prospects. China Journal, 93(1), 112–135. https://doi.org/10.1086/733767

Xiao, H., Shen, H., & Zhou, Y. (2025). Customer Digitalization, Supplier ESG Performance, and Supply Chain Sustainability. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 19(4), 398–431. https://doi.org/10.3868/s070-020-025-0017-0