Research Trends in the Field of Participatory Governance: Drawing a Map of Co-occurrence and Co-word Analysis

In today's dynamic societal structure, the active participation and involvement of people in decision-making, implementation, and monitoring processes are indispensable for the successful realization of any plan. The concept of participatory governance, central to the success of political and administrative systems, necessitates a comprehensive review of scientific publications in this domain. Experts in participatory governance face the daunting task of navigating through an extensive array of research documents to analyze the field's various strengths and weaknesses. This task, though crucial, is arduous and time-consuming given the sheer volume of literature available. Therefore, the utilization of scientific support tools to unearth and understand the conceptual framework of this area is both invaluable and necessary. The primary aim of this article is to address fundamental questions pertaining to scientific productions in participatory governance, a field increasingly recognized as vital in diverse scientific disciplines, particularly in political and governmental management. This evaluation is conducted using Co-word Analysis, a method that reveals the conceptual dynamics within the field.

The study embarks on an analytical journey through scientific productions in the domain of participatory governance spanning from 1999 to 2023, utilizing the Web of Science database as a reference point. To process and analyze the data, the study employs VOSviewer and Excel software, tools adept at illustrating the distribution of publications across different countries and their prevalence in various journals. This extensive examination encompasses 35,800 scientific documents, leading to the extraction of 70,771 keywords, each offering insight into the evolving landscape of participatory governance research.

The upward trajectory in the number of publications over the years underscores the growing significance attributed to participatory governance among researchers. A geographical analysis of these publications reveals that the United States leads with 8,862 documents, followed by England with 5,547, China with 3,833, Australia with 3,132, and the Netherlands with 2,799. A deeper dive into the subject matter of these documents indicates a predominant focus on environmental sciences, natural resources, ecosystems, and corporate governance. The Co-word Analysis further elucidates that "management", "network", and "policy" are the concepts most intricately intertwined with participatory governance.

The conceptual architecture of participatory governance, as delineated by this study, indicates that policymaking forms its core essence. The structural and operational coordination among various components, elements, institutions, and organizations predominantly hinges on network-based strategies, with governance being operationalized through management mechanisms. A temporal analysis of keyword co-occurrence patterns reveals a paradigm shift: from micro-level discussions centered around entities like companies and organizations in the years preceding 2010, to macro-level discourse focusing on broader themes like governance and politics as we approach 2022. These findings make a substantial contribution to advancing the literature in this field and provide a valuable resource for researchers aspiring to explore participatory governance. They offer insights into the current knowledge landscape and assist in steering future scientific inquiries. In alignment with these research trends, the article concludes by proposing avenues for further research to deepen the understanding of participatory governance.