Cluster Analysis of the Intellectual Structure of PPP Research

Abstract

With the wide implementation of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure projects and public services, numerous studies related to PPPs have emerged in the past two decades. Although several literature reviews of PPP research have been conducted, there still appears to be a lack of quantitative and visualized investigation and multidisciplinary scrutiny of the structure and evolution of this field. This paper applied a scientometric approach to map a visual document cocitation network and conducted cluster analysis to identify the intellectual structure and knowledge domains of PPP research. Next, the development path of each cluster, the pivotal points, and the citation history of the representative documents were identified by timeline visualization of the cocitation network. Finally, through burst analysis, some emerging trends, such as risk allocation, real option-based evaluation, contract design, and government guarantees, were summarized, which offered insights into future PPP research.