How do the different levels of governance appropriate the circular economy? A topic modelling analysis of French public policy discourse

Over the past decade, the circular economy (CE) has become a central reference in environmental and industrial policy. Yet despite its institutional ubiquity, global circularity rates continue to decline. This article argues that public policy discourse itself contributes to this paradox. Using topic modelling on approximately 2,500 institutional documents from four governance levels in France between 2015 and 2025, we identify three interlocking disconnects. A discursive gap stems from structured thematic differentiation across European, national, regional, and metropolitan levels, where institutions mobilise distinct, and sometimes incompatible, visions of circularity. An operational disconnect follows, as coherent policy coordination becomes structurally difficult. A metrological gap emerges as the foundational 4 R framing declines sharply after 2017, giving way to innovation and strategic governance themes, while thematic diversity increases consistently across all levels. This discursive shift is not incidental but constitutive of the paradox itself.