Capital Accumulation in the Informal Sector: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract The role of capital accumulation in economic growth is widely discussed. The role of the informal sector in the economic growth of many emerging and least developed economies is also widely discussed. This paper explores the role of capital accumulation in the informal sector. The informal sector enterprises face problems in accessing capital and funding their day-to-day operations. Hence it becomes important to understand how these firms expand their capacity. This paper evaluates the existing literature on capital accumulation in the informal sector with the help of bibliometric analysis. A bibliometric analysis is a quantitative analysis of bibliometric data that helps in understanding the trends in any research topic. The bibliometric tools have helped us analyse the theoretical framework, research collaboration, country-wise contribution, thematic evolution of research themes, and emerging areas for research in capital accumulation in the informal sector. In the conclusion, we reconfirm the growing popularity of capital accumulation and the informal sector and the role of capital accumulation in the growth of informal enterprises. The study suggests future research areas such as the role of social capital, intellectual capital, and human capital in capital accumulation and its impact on the growth of the informal sector. Plain English Summary Entrepreneurs and small informal firms crave social, intellectual, and human capital. This is a bibliometric study of research papers published in capital accumulation in the informal sector domain in the last 30 years. The study focuses on the theoretical evolution of capital accumulation and informal sector concepts. It has used bibliometric data of well scrutinized 284 documents for statistical analysis to find out the most relevant publications, authors, sources, and annual productivity in the said domain. The study has also looked at the thematic evolution of research topics in this area over the last three decades. The findings of the study suggest that though capital accumulation has been an important element in the growth of firms its role in the informal sector is yet to be established. However, social capital, knowledge, and human capital are emerging topics that need to be explored further. The study has explored the probable research topics and emerging research areas in capital accumulation in the informal sector domain.