Energy Transition, Structural Transformation, and Global Value Chains:A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Literature (2001-2026)

Abstract

Abstract

Energy transition is increasingly framed not only as a climate imperative but also as a driver of structural economic change in developing and emerging economies. Yet research linking energy transition to structural transformation, economic diversification, and global value chains (GVCs) remains fragmented across disciplinary fields. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of 455 English-language articles and reviews indexed in Scopus between 2001 and 2026. Using Python-based bibliometric tools, including pandas, NetworkX, and python-louvain, we examine publication trends, leading sources and authors, geographic distribution, collaboration patterns, and the conceptual structure of the literature through keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and trend-topic analysis. The results show that research in this field remained limited until 2018 but expanded rapidly after 2021. Publication activity is concentrated in China, Saudi Arabia, and a group of Gulf and BRICS-related economies, while international collaboration remains fragmented. Four thematic clusters emerge: (i) energy transition and economic diversification in rentier economies; (ii) CO₂ emissions, economic growth, and structural transformation in African and Asian contexts; (iii) sustainable development and economic complexity; and (iv) renewable energy, industrial policy, and GVCs, which forms the most central and developed cluster. Morocco and the wider Euro-Mediterranean region remain largely absent. This reveals a specific research gap at the intersection of economic complexity, GVC governance, and non-rentier Euro-Mediterranean economies. The paper concludes by proposing a research agenda focused on this intersection and by discussing limitations related to database coverage and keyword homonymy.

Keywords : Energy transition ; structural transformation ; global value chains ; economic diversification ; economic complexity ; bibliometric analysis.