Integrating meso, micro, and SDG perspectives: a bibliometric analysis of shadow economy research

Purpose This study examines key research areas on the shadow economy from 1970 to 2024 by integrating meso- and micro-level citation topics with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a multilateral analytical lens. Design/methodology/approach Using bibliometric analysis, the study maps the evolution of publication trends and highlights major research themes in the shadow economy. Findings The findings indicate that the shadow economy is expected to continue growing significantly in the future. The keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals that the shadow economy and the informal economy are two prominent author keywords that play a central role in the literature. At the meso-economic level, research is predominantly centred on tax evasion, economic growth and corruption. The causes of the shadow economy can be categorized into economic motives and institutional motives, often linked to the currency demand approach (CDA) and the multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model. Moreover, the scope of the shadow economy has expanded to include environmental quality and financial development. From a meso-management level, the informal economy consists of small-scale activities closely associated with entrepreneurship, informal entrepreneurship and self-employment. Additionally, the meso-human geography perspective suggests that informality and migration can be viewed as either substitutes or complements. Lastly, the shadow economy is connected to SDG 1 No Poverty, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 10 Reduced Inequality. Research limitations/implications Future studies employing bibliometric analysis of shadow economy research may benefit from integrating multiple databases to enhance coverage and reduce bias. Practical implications This key implication from the bibliometric analysis highlights that the shadow economy is not uniform; its complexity cannot be fully understood through a single disciplinary lens. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, the integration of meso- and micro-level citation topics with the SDGs within a unified classification framework has not been previously employed in bibliometric analyses of the shadow economy. This combined approach constitutes a novel methodological contribution of this study.