Ruslan Serhiienko

Type of the article: Research Article

Understanding the alignment between public interest and academic research is increasingly relevant in the context of global sustainability challenges. This study aims to investigate the relationship between societal attention, as measured by Google Trends, and scholarly output on renewable energy and the shadow economy. Using bibliometric data from Scopus and Web of Science alongside global Google Trends data from 2004 to 2025, the analysis employed Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, Granger causality, and distance correlation to assess the strength, direction, and form of association between public search trends and academic activity. The results reveal a significant Granger-causal relationship from public searches on “renewable energy” to academic publications, with F-statistics above 5.2 (p < 0.01), and strong positive correlations (Pearson r = 0.72; Spearman ρ = 0.69; distance correlation = 0.63). In contrast, the terms “informal economy” and “feed-in tariff” demonstrated weak or inconsistent associations, with correlations below 0.25 and statistically insignificant causality tests (p > 0.1). Cross-country comparisons further highlighted uneven alignment, with India showing high search intensity (Google Trends index > 75) but relatively low publication volume (< 2% of global output). At the same time, South Africa displayed closer coherence, with both indicators moving in tandem (r ≈ 0.61). These findings underscore scholarly research’s partial and asymmetric responsiveness to public demand, varying significantly by topic and geographic context. Moreover, while Google Trends offers robust signals of societal interest, disparities in digital access and literacy reduce its universality, pointing to critical underexplored research gaps with direct policy relevance.

Acknowledgment
This study was prepared as part of the project supported by the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic, the project 101127491-EnergyS4UA-ERASMUS-JMO2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This research was funded by the grants VEGA 1/0689/23 “Sustainable growth and the geopolitics of resilience in the context of crisis prevention” and VEGA 1/0254/25 “Artificial Intelligence and FDI-invested Business Service Centers: Selected Macroeconomic and Corporate Aspects”.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
As governments worldwide intensify efforts to achieve decarbonization, the role of fiscal and public policy instruments in shaping energy transitions has gained critical importance. This study evaluates how budgetary measures, taxation schemes, subsidies, and regulatory standards influence renewable electricity outcomes, thereby linking climate policy design with broader public and municipal finance issues. The analysis relies on panel data from 48 OECD, OECD negotiating members, and OECD participating partner-countries between 2009 and 2022, estimated with fixed and random effects models in R Studio and tested for robustness using Driscoll-Kraay and cluster-robust standard errors. The findings indicate that, compared with other instruments, feed-in tariffs (β = 0.116, p < 0.001), planning for renewables expansion (β = 0.070, p < 0.01), and air emission standards (β = 0.170, p < 0.001) provide the strongest and most consistent support for renewable electricity development. Renewable energy certificates and auctions also contribute positively, though with weaker statistical significance, while fossil fuel excise taxes and coal bans display mixed or context-dependent effects. The adjusted R² of 0.38 for renewable electricity generation and 0.44 for renewable electricity supply demonstrates the explanatory relevance of the selected policy variables. Robustness checks further confirm the enduring importance of feed-in tariffs as a cornerstone of fiscal support for renewables. Finally, cross-country heterogeneity is evident, with strong positive random effects in Bulgaria (0.86), Slovenia (0.73), and Czechia (0.81), and pronounced negative effects in Saudi Arabia (–1.23), Costa Rica (–1.22), and Chile (–0.95).

Acknowledgment
This study was prepared as part of the project 101127491-EnergyS4UA-ERASMUS-JMO2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH and as part of the project “From Dependency to Resilience: Renewable Energy Transformation in Post-Soviet States – A Multi-Level Analysis of Key Drivers of Success” within the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. However, views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The authors are thankful to the Silesian University of Technology and the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic for their support in carrying out this research.