A bibliometric review of data factor market: contrasting Chinese and international literature from a governance perspective

Purpose As the pioneer nation to formally integrate data as a factor of production into its national strategy, does China’s research emphasis on data factor market differ from that of other countries? Currently, there is a notable absence of comprehensive comparative analyses addressing this issue. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by systematically reviewing the development trajectory of research on the data factor market from a governance perspective. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used Citespace software to conduct bibliometric analyses on a corpus of 1,304 international publications and 1,249 Chinese publications. These analyses encompassed various dimensions, including publication quantity and trend analysis, cocitation analysis and keyword cooccurrence analysis, while also facilitating a comparative examination of research disparities between Chinese and international literature. Findings There are significant differences between Chinese and international data factor market studies in terms of governance environment, governance entities, governance technology and governance mechanism. The authors strongly advocate the promotion of cross-border research collaboration to advance the research and application of data factor market governance. Originality/value The authors have innovatively proposed a framework for data factor market governance. Building upon this framework, the authors conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of research disparities between Chinese and international literature, thereby unveiling emerging research trends in the field of data factor market.