Analyzing Foreign Aid Research Trends in Energy: A Scientometric Approach

Billions of people worldwide lack access to basic energy services, relying on non-renewable sources like fossil fuels and traditional biomass. Given the energy challenges in many developing countries, foreign aid in the energy sector is crucial for reducing poverty, improving quality of life, and addressing climate change. This article presents a scientometric analysis using the Web of Science and Scopus databases to identify articles on energy-related foreign aid from the Rio Conference in 1992 to 2024. It examines trends, shifts in research focus, and the thematic and conceptual structures within the field, offering insights into its current and future trajectory. The results of the analysis are as follows: (1) China, as a provider of foreign aid, and the African continent, as a recipient of aid, are the most studied geographical areas. (2) Collaboration between researchers, institutions, and regions is weak, and publications in the field are scattered across numerous journals, hindering knowledge circulation and the emergence of new research clusters. (3) Although foreign aid in the energy sector has been a continuously growing research topic since 2019, numerous research gaps remain. Notably absent from the clusters are specific categories of energy, detailed analyses of various aid actors such as NGOs and civil society organizations, small-scale financial instruments like microfinance, other funding sources such as FDI, and new forms of cooperation, such as triangular cooperation between traditional donors and partners in the Global South.