Abstract
An increasing volume of scholarly work has examined the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), with a particular emphasis on its social audit processes that strengthen accountability and participatory governance in rural India. This study presents a comprehensive review and mapping of the existing literature using bibliometric techniques, analysing 235 documents indexed in Scopus between 2005 and 2025. Employing VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, the analysis highlights both well-explored and underrepresented areas of research, while also identifying emerging and untapped themes that form the basis for further inquiry. The results reveal that rural development, employment generation, and governance remain central concerns in the discourse, whereas recent studies increasingly focus on digital tools, e-governance, and resilience in the face of climate change. Over time, the scholarly attention appears to have shifted from legal and procedural dimensions toward issues of digital inclusion, sustainability, and the integration of technology in audit practices. By synthesizing these trends, this work not only addresses a critical gap in the literature but also underscores new directions for enhancing the design and implementation of MGNREGS. The findings hold relevance for academics and provide actionable insights for policymakers seeking to strengthen accountability mechanisms, promote inclusivity, and adapt the scheme to contemporary development challenges.
Keywords: Accountability, Bibliometric Analysis, E-Governance, MGNREGS, Social Audit, Transparency.