What Roles Do Local Governments Play in Chinese Urban Energy Transition?

The energy transition is a common challenge faced by all nations. Cities, as the primary hubs of energy consumption, serve as the “front line” in this energy transition. Existing literature acknowledges the importance of governments in energy transitions, but has left little room for systematic, semi-quantitative discussion. Using Qingdao, China, as a case, this study integrates social network analysis with text analysis to explore the multiple roles, influence, and temporal evolution of local governments in urban energy transition, aiming to illuminate the governance logic embedded in the Chinese context. Multi-dimensional measurements of Qingdao’s energy-transition cooperation network from 2010 to 2020 reveal that local governments simultaneously act as leaders, drivers, implementers, duty-bearers, path shapers, conveners and catalysts. These roles display clear stage-specific dynamics, yet the strengthening of governmental leadership over time emerges as the most consistent pattern, offering empirical support for the strong state-led characteristic of China’s energy-governance model. This study concludes with stage-based policy recommendations regarding the positioning and actions of local governments across the transition process. Overall, this study provides a new analytical framework for understanding the mechanisms of urban energy transition and contributes empirical evidence for interpreting the logic of energy governance in China.