Efficient Contracting in Accounting Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Research on efficient contracts has become a major topic in the accounting literature, focusing on the use of accounting information policies to mitigate conflicts of interest between managers, shareholders, and creditors, to reduce agency costs, and to improve the efficiency of a firm's contractual relationships. The development of modern contract theory has shown that contract effectiveness is not solely determined by the structure of economic incentives but is also influenced by governance, collaboration, trust, and inter-party relationships. This study aims to analyze the development of the literature on efficient contracts using a bibliometric approach. Data were obtained from the Scopus database using the keywords "Efficient Contracts," "Positive Accounting Theory," and "Contract Theory" for the publication period 2018-2026. The analysis used VOSviewer software to identify publication trends, authors, collaborative author networks, and the development of research topics based on keywords. The results of this study indicate that publications related to efficient contracts have increased in recent years, in line with the growing attention to corporate governance, earnings management, executive compensation, and financial reporting quality. The findings of this study provide an overview of the development of research on efficient procurement and potential research opportunities for development in the coming years.

Keywords:  Efficient Contracting; Positive Accounting Theory; Contract Theory; Corporate Governance; Revenue Management; Bibliometric Analysis