Public sector reform from an Islamic perspective: a bibliometric analysis and literature review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it presents a bibliometric analysis to examine the underexplored scholarly landscape of public sector reform (PSR) and new public management (NPM) from an Islamic perspective and to identify gaps in knowledge, practice and theory. Second, it synthesizes existing literature to explore how Islamic principles have been conceptualized and implemented in PSR, addressing the disconnect between Islamic ideals and their practical application in governance. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a two-pronged approach. First, it uses a bibliometric analysis to examine the existing literature on PSR or NPM from an Islamic perspective. Data were obtained from the Scopus, Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar databases. The analysis was performed using VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20) and Microsoft Excel 365, focusing on publication trends, key authors, top journals, influential articles, contributing and collaborating countries and keyword co-occurrence patterns. Second, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to understand PSR from the Islamic perspective by synthesizing concepts and viewpoints presented in the selected 47 articles. Findings The bibliometric analysis indicates a steadily expanding but still fragmented body of scholarship on PSR from an Islamic perspective, with notable publication growth in recent years and concentration of contributions in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia and Iran. Keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals three dominant thematic clusters: governance reforms, Islamic public administration (IPA) and public service ethics. The literature synthesis demonstrates that Islamic governance offers a holistic administrative paradigm grounded in Tawhid, amanah, ‘adl, ihsan and shura; however, implementation remains uneven, often constrained by institutional incentives, performance systems rooted in conventional efficiency metrics and administrative capacity limitations. Building on these findings, the study develops a four-layer conceptual framework of Islamic Public Sector Reform (IPSR) integrating ontological foundations, epistemological sources, normative governance principles and reform instruments, thereby providing a structured analytical model linking Islamic values to reform design and governance outcomes. Originality/value This study advances the IPA literature by moving beyond descriptive bibliometric mapping to propose an integrated conceptual framework that systematically explains how Islamic worldviews and governance principles translate into PSR mechanisms. By analytically bridging bibliometric thematic clusters with the proposed IPSR framework, the study offers a theory-building contribution that clarifies the institutional pathways through which Islamic values can be operationalized within contemporary governance systems. The findings provide both a conceptual foundation for future empirical testing and actionable insights for policymakers seeking to institutionalize value-based PSRs.