Knowledge Graph of China’s Executive Compensation Gap: Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace

Abstract

This study selected 473 local research articles on executive compensation from core journals in the China Academic Journals (CNKI) full-text database and the Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI) from 2003 to 2020. Then, the bibliometric analysis method was adopted and conducted in regard to the number of articles published, authors, research institutions, high-frequency keywords, etc. In view of the increasing studies of this field, this study showed that a few scholars and institutions with high academic influence have been involved in the research on executive compensation gap in China. The results from this study revealed that the research on the relationship between executive compensation gap and firm performance as well as the moderating variables between them were topics of interests. In the context of the increasing compensation gap which had become a global interest, the research on management power and promotion incentives have established their significance as important research frontiers.