EXCHANGE Volume 01, No. 1, 2023, pp. 37-49

Yeye LI

Research Topics and Trends in European Union Energy Policy: A Structural Topic Model

Abstract: Energy policy is considered a key factor in achieving carbon neutrality in the EU. In recent decades, a substantial number of academic articles have been published on EU energy policy. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the development of energy policy research in the EU. We utilized Structural Topic Modeling (STM) to analyze research topics and trends in EU energy policy literature. STM is an unsupervised machine learning method that facilitates large-scale unstructured text mining and reveals research topics and evolutionary trends. We collected and analyzed 1777 articles published between 1975 and 2022. Our findings indicate that the primary academic focus of EU energy policy is related to port management, container operations, and liner shipping management. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that in the early days, researchers focused on energy performance and alternative energy sources such as wind and bioenergy. Later, research shifted towards broader topics such as renewable energy, climate change, and energy efficiency. More recently, CO2 emissions, sustainability, energy management, energy consumption, carbon pricing, decarbonization, energy poverty, and energy equity are hot topics of research. The major research topics and emerging trends identified from STM can assist researchers, funding communities, and policymakers in identifying contemporary research issues and making more informed decisions.

Keywords: European union; energy policy; text mining; structural topic model; research trends.