Exploring the Relationship between Innovation, Informality, Inequality and Tax Evasion through a Bibliometric Analysis

This paper explores the interrelationships among innovation, informality, tax evasion, and economic inequality through a bibliometric analysis. The interplay among these factors significantly influences economic growth and social equity, yet existing research addressing their collective impact remains fragmented. Simultaneously, innovation enhances productivity, competitiveness, and economic development, but its impact on informality, tax evasion behaviors, and economic inequality presents a complex dynamic that warrants deeper exploration. Utilizing a bibliometric analysis of publications extracted from the Web of Science database from 1998 to 2025, the analysis identifies prevailing research themes, influential authors, key publication sources, and global collaboration networks. Techniques such as Keyword Co-occurrence Network Analysis and Paper Co-citation Network Analysis are employed to visualize and interpret relationships and trends within literature. The findings reveal that while innovation can facilitate economic formalization and transparency, it simultaneously has the potential to deepen inequalities and create new forms of informality and tax evasion. The study identifies significant research clusters emphasizing technological advancements, financial and institutional constraints, and economic growth theories. Notably, research addressing the intersection of these four dimensions remains fragmented, highlighting substantial gaps and opportunities for future inquiry. This paper provides valuable insights for policymakers and researchers addressing these intertwined economic phenomena.