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Assessing technology legitimacy with topic models and sentiment analysis – The case of wind power in Germany

Dehler-Holland, Joris ORCID iD icon; Okoh, Marvin; Keles, Dogan

Abstract:

Legitimacy is a crucial factor determining the success of technologies in the early stages of development and for maintaining resource flows as well as public and political support across the technology life cycle. In sustainability transitions that unfold over long periods of time, the maintenance of legitimacy of technologies identified as vital for sustainability becomes a key challenge. In the energy sector, wind power contributes to the transition to an energy system with low greenhouse gas emissions. In Germany, wind power recently faced a series of lawsuits and decreasing investment activity. Therefore, we assess the legitimacy of wind power in Germany by analyzing newspaper articles from four national newspapers from 2009 to 2018. A large amount of articles motivates the use of topic models, sentiment analysis, and statistics to shed light on the changing alignment of wind power with its context. The results show that various issues temporarily gain prominence on the agenda. Lately, the legitimacy of wind power in Germany has been increasingly challenged by adverse effects on humans, animals, and landscapes. Policymakers and project developers may address aspects of pragmatic legitimacy, such as civic participation and the local distribution of profits.


Postprint §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000140357
Veröffentlicht am 25.11.2022
Originalveröffentlichung
DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121354
Scopus
Zitationen: 26
Web of Science
Zitationen: 24
Dimensions
Zitationen: 28
Cover der Publikation
Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für Industriebetriebslehre und Industrielle Produktion (IIP)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsmonat/-jahr 02.2022
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 0040-1625
KITopen-ID: 1000140357
Erschienen in Technological forecasting and social change
Verlag Elsevier
Band 175
Seiten Art. Nr.: 121354
Vorab online veröffentlicht am 24.11.2021
Schlagwörter Technology legitimacy; Wind power Germany; Energy transitions; Structural topic model; Natural language processing; text mining
Nachgewiesen in Scopus
Dimensions
Web of Science
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