Social Impact Bonds in Europe after COVID-19 Crisis: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study performs a bibliometric and content analysis on the development of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) in Europe, which shows a gap, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The three key areas analyzed are: 1) the institutional and normative ecosystem for SIBs; 2) the investment process, especially regarding risk transfer; 3) the effect of SIBs on public benefit, focusing on the employment sector, which is the sector that showed the best results in Europe. Through the bibliometric analysis, the paper provides deep insight, identifying publication trends, research clusters, keywords, collaboration patterns, and key authors, among others. From a practical perspective, the study aims to give practical indications to policymakers and practitioners to make the outcome-based approach more efficient and resilient to crises. It also aims to provide academic researchers with a new direction for further research in this growing field.