Pathways to stable economic policy: The role of industrial robotics and energy transition

In the evolving global economic policy landscape, the integration of industrial robot technology and sustainable energy transition has deepened over time. This study utilizes panel data from 21 countries spanning 2000 to 2023 to investigate the effects of industrial robot adoption and energy transition on economic policy uncertainty, with a focus on their potential synergistic impact. The findings demonstrate that both industrial robots and energy transition significantly reduce economic policy uncertainty. Specifically, a 1 % increase in industrial robot adoption is associated with a 0.035 % reduction in economic policy uncertainty, while a higher share of clean energy use leads to a more substantial decline. Further analysis reveals that these effects vary across countries with different levels of human capital. In countries with high human capital, energy transition proves more effective in reducing policy uncertainty, whereas in countries with low human capital, industrial robot adoption has a stronger impact. Additionally, the interaction between industrial robots and energy transition generates a significant synergistic effect, further reducing policy uncertainty. These findings highlight the critical role of technology adoption and energy transition in fostering a stable economic policy environment.