Beyond Efficiency: A Bibliometric Review of Public Values in Digital Public–Private Partnership Research

ABSTRACT Digital public–private partnerships have become an increasingly prominent mechanism for delivering digitally mediated public services and infrastructures. Despite rapid growth in this literature, limited attention has been given to how public values are conceptually structured and evaluated. This study addresses this gap through a systematic bibliometric review of Scopus‐indexed journal articles published between 2000 and 2025. Using performance analysis and science‐mapping techniques, including keyword co‐occurrence, thematic mapping, and bibliographic coupling, the study examines the conceptual and intellectual configuration of digital public–private partnership research. The findings reveal a field characterized by thematic expansion but uneven theoretical development. Managerial and performance‐oriented concepts occupy central positions, while democratic values such as equity, accountability, and participation remain weakly integrated. Intellectual foundations continue to rely heavily on infrastructure‐era partnership frameworks, indicating path‐dependent use of analytical models that are not fully aligned with the governance challenges of digital systems. The study advances theoretical understanding by identifying structural mechanisms that shape evaluative priorities and by highlighting the need to integrate public value governance and digital governance perspectives to strengthen normative analysis in digitally mediated hybrid arrangements.