European Fund Absorption and Contribution to Business Environment Development: Research Output Analysis Through Bibliometric and Topic Modeling Analysis

Abstract

In recent years, the field of European funds for business development has generated significant interest in the academic literature, stimulated by European Union (EU) regulations and the implementation of business financing programs. This context has led to an increase in research on the impact and use of European funds, particularly in terms of support for economic development and infrastructure. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis, using topic modeling, to examine academic publications on the use and absorption of European funds and how they influence the business environment. Using a dataset of 74 publications indexed in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Core Collection, covering the period 2005–2024, the present study aims to identify the main authors, institutions, journals, and collaboration networks involved. It also analyzes research trends, dominant themes, and the countries with the largest contributions in this field, using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and BERTopic analysis as a complement to the classical bibliometric approach. The thematic analysis reveals a thematic cohesion around entrepreneurship, EU structural funds, regional development, and innovation. In addition, there has been a significant annual increase in publications in this field, and through the use of thematic maps, word clouds, and collaboration networks, this study provides an overview of the evolution of research on the absorption of European funds and its impact on the business environment. These findings contribute both to deepening academic knowledge and to formulating more effective European policies for optimizing fund absorption and supporting the sustainable development of the business environment.