Current Discussions in Islamic Microfinance Research and Future Agendas: A Bibliometric Study Based on Scopus Database

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to encapsulate the major themes and their inter-linkage within Islamic microfinance research and to highlight the important gaps by recommending future research areas of worth investigation. The Scopus database is used for this bibliometric analysis. Using a robust selection criterion, 89 research articles were finalized to conduct the analysis. For the visualization and presentation of results, various software were used, such as R, RStudio, VOSviewer, and Microsoft excel. Results of content analysis and literature mapping show that most of the available studies on Islamic microfinance are theoretical and cover the topics of Islamic microfinance models, importance as a tool for poverty alleviation, and integration of Islamic commercial and social finance. There is an ample research gap in this area, and there are various avenues that could be explored in future research. In comparison with other studies on the same area using the same methodology, this study presents the various research agendas, areas and ideas for future research, which makes this study a good contribution to the literature.