Digital technologies' impacts on alleviation of poverty: a bibliometric review

Abstract

PurposeDigital technologies have been found to have long-lasting impacts on poverty. This study has been conducted to shed light on the contributions made by digital technologies toward poverty alleviation and also provide future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors thoroughly studied the sample of 258 publications from the Scopus database, covering the period from 1982 to June 2023. Using VOS viewer and Bibliometrix R, various graphs and networks are developed to understand publication trends, research collaborations and intellectual structures.FindingsA significant amount of the existing literature on the impact of digital technologies on poverty alleviation demonstrates the need for more studies in this area. Lack of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and access exhibits less opportunity for work, social networking and entrepreneurship, directly affecting people’s livelihoods in developing countries.Practical implicationsThis study will help country planners, regulatory bodies and academicians get a deeper insight into the impact of digital technologies on poverty alleviation and also develop the future research agenda.Originality/valueThis study employs a considerable period of time, from the year 1982 to June 2023. To the best of authors’ knowledge, the current study is a pioneer in using bibliometric analysis to identify the impact of digital technologies on the alleviation of poverty. This attempt will surely be helpful to academicians, researchers and those working on identifying the impact of digital technology on poverty alleviation.