Global research frontiers in cyber security governance: A bibliometric and thematic analysis

Cybersecurity governance has been a growing area of research in the last two decades. Although in initial works we only found a single isolated approach to a technical or policy-related aspect, on recent research we identify a trend on discussions concerning about the relationships between governance framework and risk management with technological innovation, especially when it comes to disciplines such as public administration and information security. In this bibliometric analysis, we provide a comprehensive summary of research trends and evolving patterns based on Web of Science database over the period of 22 years. Noteworthy findings include the following: (1) research on cybersecurity governance has evolved rapidly since the early 2000s; (2) most contributions come from a few institutions mainly located in the USA, Europe, and, increasingly, Asia; (3) the research collaboration networks are predominantly confined within national or regional borders; (4) the field is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing from computer science, public policy, and management studies; and (5) three main thematic clusters have emerged – governance and regulatory frameworks; integration of newer technologies like AI and blockchain; and strategic information security management and socio-technical factors influencing cyber resilience. These observations expose current research strengths and weaknesses, and the need for more co-operation internationally, greater theoretical focus, and reintroducing supressed themes such as behavioral cybersecurity and cyber national governance strategies.