Least Developed Countries: A Review of Worldwide Research

Abstract

In recent decades, a number of initiatives have been undertaken to reduce poverty and improve the economic situation of Least Developed Countries (LCDs), but there are still problems that prevent them from progressing toward their goals. This article studies the scientific contributions related to the issue of the LCDs to detect how these countries can achieve sustained economic growth with full use of their capacities, allowing access to new forms of production that could generate products and activities with greater added value. The research has been carried out using bibliometric tools (Vosviewer and Biblioshiny) and the data have been extracted from Web of Science and Scopus. This method includes the topics that have been dealt with the most, the trend followed by these publications, the concentration of authors and the responses that scientific journals offer on LDCs. In conclusion, there has been increased concern about these issues, especially around the topic of trade, sustainability, and the African continent, albeit with gaps in aspects such as the importance of raw materials, official development aid, transportation, and the distribution of its products, as well as other key variables to achieve its future development. As a recommendation, we suggest that the group of researchers on the subject must be stimulated so that the message provokes a reaction regarding the importance of the issues affecting these countries, their painful consequences, and the need to find adequate solutions considering their social and humanitarian significance. It is about raising awareness among the scientific community on topics that have been largely overshadowed by more media-driven current issues.