Purchasing Power Parity in the Global Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the development of global research on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) through a bibliometric approach. PPP has long been recognized as a fundamental concept in international economics, particularly in explaining exchange rate dynamics and price level relationships across countries. Despite the extensive body of literature, a comprehensive mapping of research trends and the intellectual structure of PPP studies remains limited. Therefore, this study seeks to identify publication trends, dominant themes, collaboration patterns, and potential research gaps in the PPP literature. Using a descriptive quantitative method, secondary data were collected from the Scopus database, resulting in 379 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2026. The data were analyzed using VOSviewer to generate visualizations of keyword co-occurrence, author co-authorship, and country co-authorship networks. The findings indicate that PPP remains a central topic with strong connections to exchange rates, inflation, and econometric analysis. The literature is dominated by themes such as cointegration, unit root testing, and non-linear models, reflecting the prevalence of quantitative approaches. In addition, the collaboration analysis reveals several influential research groups, with countries such as China and the United States acting as key contributors and hubs in global research networks. Overall, PPP research has evolved into a multidimensional field that integrates theoretical, empirical, and applied perspectives. However, gaps remain in the integration of emerging topics such as the digital economy and financial technology, as well as in the representation of developing regions. These findings provide insights for future research directions and contribute to the advancement of international finance literature.