TITLE:
Accounting for Intellectual Capital and Intangible Assets in the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review
AUTHORS:
Andreas Koutoupis, Antonia Markogiannopoulou, Thekla Paraponti
KEYWORDS:
Intellectual Capital, Public Sector, Recognition, Measurement, Reporting, Disclosure
JOURNAL NAME:
Theoretical Economics Letters,
Vol.15 No.6,
November
27,
2025
ABSTRACT: This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review aimed at identifying current trends and future research opportunities related to accounting for intangible assets in the public sector. We retrieved 52 studies that consider different aspects of accounting for intangible assets (i.e., recognition, measurement, reporting, and disclosure) published in journals between 1972 and 2024 from two databases: Scopus and Web of Science. Our study contributes to the theoretical economic perspective of accounting. The findings reveal a significant research gap in accounting for intangible assets. Despite the latter’s increasingly influential role in modern economies and the significant investments by governments in intangibles, the results show that research remains scant.