Bridging policy design gaps in energy transitions: digital leadership and transformative innovation policy as accelerators for SDG-linked energy governance
Susy Harjanti, Rano Kartono Rahim, Mohammad Hamsal, Sevenpri Candra, Willy GunadiPurpose
Motivated by persistent policy design gaps in SDG-linked energy transitions, this study aims to examine how digital leadership (DL) and transformative innovation policy (TIP) are integrated, positioned or marginalized within global energy transition scholarship. It also considers how their potential alignment may inform future research on adaptive energy governance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a bibliometric approach as the research questions focus on field-level knowledge structures, conceptual integration, thematic evolution and collaboration patterns. The analysis uses 283 Scopus- and Web of Science-indexed articles published between 2015 and 2025. Keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution and author-country collaboration analyses are used to map the intellectual structures and relational patterns linking DL, TIP, innovation governance and sustainable energy transition scholarship.
Findings
The analysis shows that policy mix, sustainability transitions and technology adoption dominate global energy transition research, while DL and TIP remain weakly integrated in policy-oriented studies. Indonesia’s B40 biodiesel program is used as a contextual illustration of how policy implementation may advance faster than explicit DL−TIP alignment. This offers a practice-based reflection rather than empirical validation of the bibliometric patterns.
Research limitations/implications
This study relies on bibliometric evidence indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. The English language and document-type restrictions may underrepresent regional or practice-oriented policy insights. Future research should incorporate regional databases and combine bibliometric findings with qualitative policy analysis. Further studies may also examine how DL−TIP-informed interventions are designed, implemented and assessed in specific policy settings.
Originality/value
This study contributes by providing bibliometric evidence of the limited integration between DL and TIP in energy transition scholarship. Rather than proposing a fully developed governance framework, the study positions DL−TIP alignment as an emerging conceptual lens for understanding thematic fragmentation and informing future research on adaptive, SDG-oriented energy governance.