Exploring the patterns of China's carbon neutrality policies

To achieve the ambitious carbon neutrality goal by 2060, the Chinese government has implemented a series of carbon neutrality policies. These policy documents are pivotal in facilitating the examination of policy substance, the scrutiny of policy evolution, and the dissection of the policy instruments involved. This study develops an analytical framework for assessing carbon neutrality through policy documents, applying text mining and network analysis to probe the intricacies of policy topics, interagency collaboration, and diffusion dynamics. This research aims to delineate and expound upon the strategic paradigms employed by the Chinese government in its quest for carbon neutrality. The findings reveal a constellation of eleven policy topics, with green and low carbon being key aspects of each. The policy collaboration network has a density of 0.593, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)'s high average weighted degree of 14.6 highlights its crucial role in leading and coordinating these policies. In terms of diffusion dynamics, the green energy transition topic has a diffusion speed of 0.967 and a strength of 49, indicating its importance to the Chinese government. On a practical level, the findings offer policy-makers concrete, actionable recommendations to refine policy design and enhance implementation effectiveness. Theoretically, this study advances the scientific understanding of policy dynamics by proposing a novel analytical framework that integrates multiple dimensions of policy analysis, contributing to the methodological development of policy research. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd