Strategic Shifts in Poverty Alleviation: A Knowledge Network and Temporal Analysis of Global Policy, Livelihood, and Sustainability Discourses in Scopus

Abstract

This study examines how global poverty alleviation research has evolved conceptually and strategically over time, and situates this evolution within the broader agenda of sustainable development. The population of this study consists of all publications on poverty alleviation indexed in Scopus. Using a structured search strategy with terms such as “poverty alleviation,” “poverty reduction,” “livelihood,” “social policy,” and “sustainable development,” we identified a sample of 3,976 documents published between 1973 and 2025. A purposive sampling approach was applied to include only documents conceptually relevant to anti-poverty strategies. Bibliographic metadata (authors, keywords, abstracts, citations, affiliations) were collected from Scopus. The data were analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny to generate performance indicators and VOSviewer to produce science maps. The findings indicate a clear thematic progression. Early studies framed poverty mainly in terms of rural livelihoods, land access, and agricultural survival. This was followed by a governance-oriented phase that emphasized public policy, redistribution, and social protection. More recent work links poverty reduction to sustainability, climate resilience, energy access, and institutional accountability, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The study concludes that poverty is no longer treated only as a condition of immediate deprivation, but as a long-term structural challenge that requires integrated economic, social, and environmental strategies