GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN ASSET RECOVERY AND ANTI-CORRUPTION LAW: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS (1971–2025)

Abstract

The literature on asset recovery, illicit enrichment, and reverse burden of proof continues to grow rapidly in line with the increasing need for more effective and legally adaptive anti-corruption approaches. However, there is no comprehensive scholarly mapping of the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and dominant actors in this discourse. This study aims to analyze the development of global literature in the field of asset recovery and economic law approaches to anti-corruption policies through a bibliometric approach. Data was obtained from the Scopus base with a time span of 1971-2025, and analyzed using VOSviewer and bibliometrix (R) software. The selection process followed the PRISMA 2020 approach, resulting in 1,289 documents that were analyzed quantitatively and visually. The results showed that the number of publications increased sharply post-UNCAC 2003, with the dominance of law and economics and institutional governance approaches. Central figures such as Posner, Sunstein, and Rose-Ackerman form the main intellectual structure, while recent thematic trends point to issues of digital forensics, confiscation without criminal conviction, and reverse evidentiary policies. The findings confirm that an asset-oriented justice approach based on legal efficiency is now mainstream in global anti-corruption policy. This research contributes to strengthening academic understanding and publication strategies in the field of economic law and anti-corruption governance, especially for developing countries. This is the first longitudinal bibliometric analysis to integrate legal efficiency, reverse burden of proof, and asset-based justice in the global anti-corruption discourse.