Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research

The growing need to address climate change through sustainability governance has amplified the importance of Sustainable Transitions Research (STR). Despite its interdisciplinary scope and methodological variety, STR continues to face divisions between research domains, often exacerbated by its rapi...

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Main Author: Kyle S. Herman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Sustainable Environment
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/27658511.2024.2424065
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author Kyle S. Herman
author_facet Kyle S. Herman
author_sort Kyle S. Herman
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description The growing need to address climate change through sustainability governance has amplified the importance of Sustainable Transitions Research (STR). Despite its interdisciplinary scope and methodological variety, STR continues to face divisions between research domains, often exacerbated by its rapid expansion and the methodological tensions between qualitative and quantitative approaches. This study uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyse 448 published articles, initiated from two foundational STR papers, to explore thematic and semantic patterns within the field. The NLP analysis reveals underlying connections and synergies across theoretical, empirical, and conceptual domains in STR, highlighting potential for cross-fertilisation between disparate research areas. The findings map key relationships across the STR community, providing a comprehensive overview of how different domains are interlinked. Recommendations include fostering hybrid approaches and enhancing collaboration between qualitative and quantitative research traditions. By bridging these divides, the STR field can advance in guiding more effective sustainability governance.
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spelling doaj-art-87facb1dc18945deaa349a3b7056e4002025-08-20T01:54:50ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSustainable Environment2765-85112024-12-0110110.1080/27658511.2024.2424065Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions researchKyle S. Herman0Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex Business School, Brighton, UKThe growing need to address climate change through sustainability governance has amplified the importance of Sustainable Transitions Research (STR). Despite its interdisciplinary scope and methodological variety, STR continues to face divisions between research domains, often exacerbated by its rapid expansion and the methodological tensions between qualitative and quantitative approaches. This study uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyse 448 published articles, initiated from two foundational STR papers, to explore thematic and semantic patterns within the field. The NLP analysis reveals underlying connections and synergies across theoretical, empirical, and conceptual domains in STR, highlighting potential for cross-fertilisation between disparate research areas. The findings map key relationships across the STR community, providing a comprehensive overview of how different domains are interlinked. Recommendations include fostering hybrid approaches and enhancing collaboration between qualitative and quantitative research traditions. By bridging these divides, the STR field can advance in guiding more effective sustainability governance.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/27658511.2024.2424065Sustainable transitions researchinterdisciplinary researchnatural language processingNLPautomated content analysislatent Dirichlet allocation
spellingShingle Kyle S. Herman
Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
Sustainable Environment
Sustainable transitions research
interdisciplinary research
natural language processing
NLP
automated content analysis
latent Dirichlet allocation
title Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
title_full Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
title_fullStr Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
title_full_unstemmed Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
title_short Leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
title_sort leveraging natural language processing to bridge divides in sustainable transitions research
topic Sustainable transitions research
interdisciplinary research
natural language processing
NLP
automated content analysis
latent Dirichlet allocation
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/27658511.2024.2424065
work_keys_str_mv AT kylesherman leveragingnaturallanguageprocessingtobridgedividesinsustainabletransitionsresearch