The Urban-Rural Gap in Research on Financial Inclusion: A Co-Occurrence Analysis

Financial inclusion, defined as the widespread access and utilization of financial services by individuals and businesses, remains a recurring theme in development discussions due to its potential to alleviate poverty, enhance productivity, and promote equity. The interest of multilateral institutions and the wealth of information stemming from advancements in information and communication technologies have propelled empirical research primarily in urban areas, side-lining investigations in rural regions. Employing techniques of bibliometric analysis, this study unveils distinctions in the conceptual framework of financial inclusion, differentiating outcomes applicable to urban contexts from those pertinent to rural settings. Additionally, it identifies lingering theoretical and empirical gaps in research within both contexts, shedding light on prospective avenues for further investigation.