Bibliometric analysis of studies on the concept of social welfare in the Web of Science between 1991 and 2023

Purpose Social welfare, while it expresses the general well-being, happiness and quality of life of individuals and society, can also affect the social, economic and psychological situations of individuals and society. It is aimed at examining in detail the research trends and developments regarding the concept of social welfare within the scope of international research in the literature. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the bibliometric analysis of the studies published between 1991 and 2023 on the concept of social welfare in the Web of Science (WOS) was analyzed with the VOSviewer (Version 1.6.9) package program. Findings This study indicates that 3,276 works on the topic of “Social Welfare” were produced. Examining the year-based distribution, 2021 has the most publications (381 works), making it the year with the highest number. Journal articles have the most publishing types, with 2,974 works. There are 3,276 published works, all in English. Upon analysis of the most frequently used keywords that were connected to one another in the study and were used at least twice, it was found that “child welfare” was the most used term with 214 repeats, followed by “social work” with 183 repetitions and “welfare state” with 154 repetitions. In terms of publications on social welfare, social work (1,233 works) and management (679 works) are the research disciplines with the most. In terms of the works, they produce in the field of social welfare, it has been shown that the USA (502 works) and the UK (650 works) are pioneers. Research limitations/implications Considering the limited interdisciplinary studies on social welfare and the gap in this field, it has become necessary for researchers, practitioners and policymakers to focus on this issue. This study is limited to the bibliometric analysis of English language studies published in the WOS database between 1991 and 2023 on the concept of social welfare on March 20, 2024, it is recommended to investigate similar studies in different databases in certain periods in order to explore research trends from the perspective of different disciplines. Practical implications This study with bibliometric analysis provides forward-looking insights into social welfare on the basis of research, practice and policy. The dominance of social welfare research by major publishing houses and leading academic institutions demonstrates the influence of this field in the literature. However, it should be noted that the promotion of different types of publications, such as books and book chapters, can contribute to the enrichment of the literature in this field. In particular, book studies with in-depth analyses and critical approaches can help expand the body of knowledge in the field of social welfare. Social implications By encouraging international conference papers, social welfare policies implemented in different countries can be discussed in the context of academics, experts and policymakers. At this point, it can be suggested that research in the field of social welfare should be expanded to cover different geographical regions and cultural contexts. Increasing social welfare work in regions such as Asia and Africa can contribute to a better understanding of societal issues in these regions. Originality/value Considering the limited number of interdisciplinary studies on social welfare and the gap in this field, it can be stated that this study is original in terms of revealing research trends on social welfare.