Lobbying and Advocacy Beyond the North: A Bibliometric Exploration of the International Scholarship on the Global South

Abstract

Research on interest groups in the Global North is well-established, but attention to the Global South is growing, enhancing comparative analysis and offering insights into contemporary policy issues. Analysing 162 documents from Scopus over the past decade, we explore scientific contributions of the international literature to lobbying in the Global South. Utilising bibliometric and network analysis, we map recent publications, revealing evolving themes and scholarly focus. Scholars in the region increasingly explore diverse interests such as human rights, gender, sexuality, and climate governance, shifting away from traditional business group studies. However, authorship of publications in English remains primarily with scholars from the Global North. This research highlights the expanding scope and understanding of lobbying and interest organisations in the Global South, analysing how the international literature examines the theme.