Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods empowering empirical research in public policy: a review of theoretical foundations and practices

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a key theoretical and practical focus in public policy, yet its specific applications and impacts in empirical public policy research still require in-depth exploration. Adopting a systematic literature review approach, this study collects recent literatures on the application of AI methods in empirical public policy research from the Web of Science Core Collection, as well as academic platforms such as CNKI and Wanfang Data. Through sorting and analyzing these literatures, this paper systematically combs the theoretical foundations of AI in the field of public policy and the practical applications of AI in empirical public policy research, aiming to reveal the current status of theoretical foundations and practical applications of AI methods in empirical public policy research.