Four decades of research in bank runs: A bibliometric analysis and future research avenues

Abstract

Bank runs pose serious risks to financial stability, often leading to systemic crises and widespread economic disruptions. Given their persistent relevance, highlighted most recently by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in 2023, there is a pressing need to assess how scholarly understanding of bank runs has evolved over time. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 397 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1983 and 2024, retrieved from the Scopus database, synthesised through volume analysis, citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis and co-citation analysis. Since 1995, there has been a significant rise in the quantum of publications, especially after the 2008 financial crisis. The recent collapse of SVB has renewed scholarly interest in bank runs. US-based authors have contributed extensively (in terms of publications) and remain amongst the most cited authors in this area. Co-citation analysis is performed to uncover the major themes that have evolved over four decades. Results have shown that literature has extensively focused on the causes of bank runs, their prevention, contagion, and the role of social networks and central banks in a bank run. Future research should focus on bank runs in emerging economies context, technology-driven bank runs and utilising bank-level data to understand bank run dynamics.