Co-occurrences and trends in energy transition and corporate power: 2015–2026

Abstract

This article maps academic discourse at the intersection of corporate networks and the energy transition over 2015–2026. It aims to identify the field’s dominant thematic structure, estimate the presence and integration of corporate-power vocabulary, and highlight asymmetries that can inform a research agenda. Using a cleaned Scopus corpus, we conduct bibliometric analyses combining title/keyword co-occurrence, descriptive indicators, and temporal trends, complemented by a terminology-sensitivity check. Results reveal a technoclimatic, implementation-oriented core organized around renewables, decarbonization, energy policy, and investment. Critical political-economy notions (e.g., incumbency, lobbying, interlocks, regulatory capture) appear unevenly and, when present, tend to remain peripheral with limited connectivity to the main organizing concepts. This pattern points to conceptual segmentation: the transition is predominantly framed as a technological deployment and management problem, while power and institutional influence are less integrated into the field’s core structure. We discuss implications for research and transition assessment, and outline avenues that combine bibliometrics with co-citation, collaboration networks, and elite data (interlocks, ownership, PEPs) to more directly link power structures to decarbonization pathways.