Inflation trajectory in Ghana from dawn to dusk a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review

Inflation has long been a central concern in Ghana's economic discourse, yet existing studies have not been systematically synthesised to trace the intellectual evolution, methodological trends and underexplored themes in this field. This study addresses that gap by combining bibliometric analysis with a systematic literature review of 213 peer-reviewed articles identified and screened using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. Using Scopus-indexed publications (n = 213) analysed with the R Bibliometrix package, the bibliometric analysis reveals a marked post-2000 surge in inflation research, concentrated in a core set of journals and institutions and organised around clusters linked to monetary and fiscal policy, external shocks and distributional outcomes. The systematic review shows a strong dominance of traditional econometric approaches, particularly ARDL, VAR and GARCH-type models, and a heavy reliance on national CPI as the inflation proxy. Regional analysis remains limited, largely because disaggregated regional inflation data were not publicly available before 2021, and qualitative or mixed-methods studies are rare. Conceptually, variables such as mobile money, climate shocks, institutional quality and SDG-related social outcomes are only sporadically incorporated, while advanced techniques such as machine learning, structural equation modelling and time-varying parameter models are underutilized despite their potential to capture non-linear and regime-dependent dynamics. The review argues that future work should integrate region-specific data, multidimensional inflation measures and richer institutional and socio-economic variables, supported by more flexible modelling strategies. Together, these steps would enhance both the explanatory power of inflation research in Ghana and its usefulness for evidence-based policymaking.