Microfinance Research in India During 2001–2021: A Bibliometric Analysis with Its Social Impact Using Altmetrics

Microfinance has a significant impact on the country’s development. It strives to support economically disadvantaged communities in achieving higher levels of wealth development and income security for both households and entire communities. It assists small loans to initiate micro-level business activities which fosters financial autonomy among them. It also ensures better society and growth of a nation. The objective of the study is to map the preceding research direction in the field of microfinance in India and offers guidance to writers and researchers entering the subject of microfinance in India by providing data on year-wise publications, citations pattern, authorship pattern, types of documents preferred by the researchers, preferred sources of communication and institutions mostly associated with microfinance-related literature in India. The study also covered the critical issues related to growth of microfinance in India. Major keywords used in the microfinance research and their association with other keywords, examines the preferred countries for collaboration by Indian authors in microfinance-related studies, and the social impact of top cited articles published during the study period.