Bibliometric and content analysis on competition in higher education

Abstract This research aimed to reveal the growth trend of competition in higher education literature, the contribution to the topic, the collaborative structure of the topic, its historical development, the intellectual structure of the knowledge base, and the research fronts. The data comprise 398 articles from the Web of Science database covering the period 1960–2023. The methodology of this research is based on bibliometric and content analysis, which integrates quantitative and qualitative methods, allowing a deeper examination of the topic. According to the results of this study, the literature on competition in higher education has shown significant growth over the past two decades. The literature has been shaped with the contribution of many disciplines. The USA has the highest productivity and collaboration, and Italy has the highest publication impact. The results of the historical citation analysis revealed seven streams that played a role in the development of the topic. The intellectual structure of the knowledge base on which the topic is based is categorised into seven clusters. The research fronts of the topic consist of eight themes: (1) sustainable competitive advantage, (2) global competition, (3) competition and management policies, (4) global mobility, knowledge economy, and innovation, (5) struggle with a competitive environment, (6) transformation, diversity, and drivers of competition, (7) excellence and competition in higher education, (8) entrepreneurship and competition in higher education. In addition, this study revealed various effects of competition in higher education. This research suggests directions for future research on the topic and provides a broad view of competition research in higher education.