Cost Management Accounting Practices and National Economic Growth: A Systematic Literature Review

This study systematically reviews recent scholarship to examine how cost management accounting (CMA) practices contribute to firm performance and national economic development. Drawing on 45 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025, the review applies a transparent methodology, including a PRISMA flow diagram, rigorous screening, and bias-mitigation strategies, to ensure reliability. The findings show that traditional CMA tools remain important in promoting efficiency and stability, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies, though their ability to drive innovation is contested. Strategic cost management techniques such as activity-based costing, target costing, and life cycle costing support competitiveness and innovation but face adoption barriers in resource-constrained settings. Sustainability-oriented CMA is increasingly used to align corporate practices with green growth and the Sustainable Development Goals, yet its application remains uneven and often limited to compliance. Digital transformation enhances CMA through real-time analytics and predictive insights, but it also highlights a digital divide that risks excluding less advanced firms and economies. The review identifies contradictions in the literature, including tensions between stability and adaptability, compliance and transformation, and inclusivity and inequality in technology adoption. Theoretically, the evidence points to fragmented applications of Institutional Theory, Resource-Based View, and Agency Theory, with limited integration to explain how firm-level practices scale into macroeconomic outcomes. This study contributes by outlining a future research agenda that emphasizes comparative, multi-level, and interdisciplinary approaches, while also offering practical insights for policymakers and practitioners on leveraging CMA as a tool for competitiveness, fiscal sustainability, and inclusive growth.