Four nuances of Islamic finance research: A bibliometric analysis approach for exploring the structure of research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp158-183Abstract
Background and Purpose: Islamic finance is an important driver of the economy for the Muslim world, particularly in the developing Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia. Scholars continue to pay close attention to Islamic finance research because it differs from conventional finance in many ways. Islamic finance research, like other fields of study, has to take a step back to evaluate what has been accomplished, who has contributed, and what the trending research topics are throughout its development. To that end, this research aims to investigate the structure of Islamic finance research by identifying its key nuances to date.
Methodology: This study employs bibliometric analysis techniques using VOSviewer to examine the research landscape of Islamic finance. Specifically, citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and co-word analysis are applied to a dataset comprising 1,567 academic articles published between 1955 and 2019, spanning 65 years of research. The analysis identifies influential scientific journals and key thematic contributions to the field.
Findings: The study uncovers four nuances of Islamic finance research based on citation impact, bibliographic coupling, and co-word analysis. These key themes include: i) Bank performance, stability, corporate governance, and risk management; ii) Customer patronisation and satisfaction determinants; iii) Islamic microfinance and social banking; and iv) Islamic capital market products and performance.
Contributions: This study presents an easy-to-read network of research nuances useful for understanding the Islamic finance literature and supporting future research in this field. The study also provides practical contributions to Islamic financial institutions by showing the major areas of focus for improving or sustaining them in the industry.
Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, Islamic finance nuances, literature review, co-word, bibliographic coupling.
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