The rise of the chaebol: A bibliometric analysis of business groups in South Korea

TL;DR

This paper systematically reviews the role and influence of South Korea's chaebol business groups through bibliometric analysis of scientific collaboration, bibliographic coupling, and keyword networks.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of Korean business groups, filling a significant knowledge gap in understanding their economic impact.

Findings

Identifies key collaboration patterns among researchers studying chaebol

Maps the main themes and topics associated with chaebol in academic literature

Highlights the growth and research trends related to Korean business groups

Abstract

South Korea has become one of the most important economies in Asia. The largest Korean multinational firms are affiliated with influential family-owned business groups known as the chaebol. Despite the surging academic popularity of the chaebol, there is a considerable knowledge gap in the bibliometric analysis of business groups in Korea. In an attempt to fill this gap, the article aims to provide a systematic review of the chaebol and the role that business groups have played in the economy of Korea. Three distinct bibliometric networks are analyzed, namely the scientific collaboration network, bibliographic coupling network, and keyword co-occurrence network.