This study examines the long-run relationship between carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and key macroeconomic and sectoral drivers in ten ASEAN economies from 1995 to 2023. Employing Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, Prais–Winsten regression, heteroskedastic panel-corrected standard errors, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) estimators, the analysis accounts for cross-sectional dependence, slope heterogeneity, and endogeneity. Results indicate that GDP exerts a more-than-unitary positive effect on emissions, with a negative GDP-squared term supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Agriculture raises emissions through land-use change and high-emission cultivation practices, while tourism shows a negative association likely reflecting territorial accounting effects. Trade openness increases emissions, highlighting the carbon intensity of export structures, whereas foreign direct investment exerts no significant net effect. These results suggest that ASEAN economies must accelerate renewable energy adoption, promote climate-smart agriculture, embed enforceable environmental provisions in trade policy, and implement rigorous sustainability screening for FDI to achieve low-carbon growth trajectories.

This study investigates whether information and communication technology (ICT) constitutes a sustained driver of economic growth in four Central Asian economies—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—over the period 2000–2022. Using an extended endogenous growth framework, this study employs the following long-run growth model: economic growth is specified as a function of ICT development, gross capital formation, trade openness, human capital, government effectiveness, and inflation. A composite ICT index is constructed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Long-run relationships are examined using a panel cointegration approach, and long-run elasticities are estimated using FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR techniques. The results reveal that ICT development exerts a negative and statistically significant effect on economic growth in the long run, indicating limited technological absorptive capacity and insufficient institutional readiness in the region. In contrast, capital formation, trade openness, human capital, and government effectiveness positively and significantly promote growth, while inflation hampers economic performance. The findings suggest that ICT investment alone is insufficient for sustainable growth without complementary institutional strengthening, human capital development, digital skills enhancement, improved broadband quality, and governance reforms to increase the productive use of ICT.

This study investigates the determinants of economic growth in the Next-11 economies over the period 1996–2024, with particular emphasis on the roles of structural, institutional, and human capital factors. Using a comprehensive panel dataset for eleven emerging economies, the analysis employs three robust estimation techniques—Driscoll–Kraay Standard Errors (DKSEs), Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLSs), and Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSEs)- to address common econometric issues such as heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, and cross-sectional dependence. The empirical results reveal that industrial output, energy consumption, human capital, institutional quality, and foreign direct investment significantly contribute to economic growth. Among these factors, industrial output and energy consumption exhibit particularly strong and consistent positive effects across all estimation methods, highlighting the importance of structural transformation and energy availability in supporting economic expansion. In contrast, trade openness shows a negative and statistically significant relationship with economic growth in most model specifications, suggesting that structural constraints, import dependence, and limited domestic productive capacity may restrict the growth benefits of external integration in these economies. The study also explores the conditional effects of foreign direct investment through interaction terms with human capital and institutional quality. The findings indicate that the growth-enhancing impact of foreign investment depends significantly on domestic absorptive capacity, particularly the availability of skilled labor and effective governance structures. These results emphasize the importance of complementary policies aimed at strengthening education systems, improving institutional quality, and enhancing regulatory effectiveness. From a policy perspective, the findings suggest that the Next-11 economies should prioritize industrial development, energy infrastructure expansion, human capital investment, and institutional reforms to maximize the benefits of globalization and foreign investment. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by providing robust empirical evidence on the interconnected roles of structural, institutional, and human capital factors in shaping economic growth in emerging economies.

This study examines the role of governance and institutional quality in shaping FDI inflows across twelve South and Central Asian economies from 2002 to 2023. The analysis incorporates key macroeconomic determinants, including trade openness, economic growth, population, inflation, six governance dimensions, and a composite institutional quality index constructed through principal component analysis. Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS), and Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) techniques are employed to capture heterogeneity and distributional effects. The findings show that trade openness, economic growth, and population consistently stimulate FDI inflows, whereas inflation discourages foreign investment. More importantly, the study reveals a counterintuitive institutional effect: stricter governance mechanisms-including stronger rule of law, regulatory quality, and anti-corruption measures-can temporarily constrain FDI inflows by increasing compliance costs, administrative complexity, and adjustment burdens for foreign investors in transitional economies. This suggests that institutional strengthening operates as a double-edged process, promoting long-term economic credibility while potentially discouraging short-term foreign capital inflows. The study therefore highlights the importance of balancing institutional reforms with procedural efficiency and investor-friendly implementation strategies in South and Central Asia.

This study investigates the moderating role of government effectiveness in the relationship between urbanization, renewable energy adoption, and environmental efficiency in South Asia over the period 1996–2023. Using a dynamic panel life-cycle framework and advanced long-run estimators (FMOLS, DOLS, CCR) complemented by robust corrections for cross-sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity, the analysis reveals that economic growth and trade expansion increase environmental pressures, while renewable energy deployment, industrial modernization, and effective governance significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. Notably, the interaction between renewable energy and government effectiveness demonstrates that institutional quality amplifies the mitigation impact of clean energy policies. These findings highlight that environmental outcomes are structurally and institutionally conditioned, emphasizing the importance of governance-contingent strategies for achieving sustainable urbanization and low-carbon development. The study contributes to the literature by integrating governance as a moderating mechanism in the urbanization–environment nexus and providing policy-relevant evidence for sustainability interventions in the region.

This study investigates how institutional quality conditions the relationship between energy transition and environmental sustainability in nine CIS economies over the period 1996–2024, drawing on annual panel data sourced from the World Development Indicators. In the empirical framework, carbon dioxide emissions are specified as the dependent variable, while industrial output, foreign direct investment (FDI), renewable energy consumption, economic growth, trade openness, overall energy use, and an institutional quality index are included as key determinants of environmental pressure. Methodologically, the paper employs second-generation panel econometric techniques, commencing with cross-sectional dependence diagnostics and panel unit root tests, and proceeding to long-run estimation through FMOLS and CCR. The robustness of these estimates is reinforced using Driscoll-Kraay standard errors, while the System-GMM estimator is applied to address heteroskedasticity, serial correlation, cross-sectional dependence, and endogeneity concerns. The results indicate that industrial activity, energy consumption, and FDI significantly increase CO₂ emissions, whereas greater reliance on renewable energy and stronger institutional quality help to alleviate environmental degradation. Under more rigorous specifications, trade openness and economic growth are found to reduce emissions, pointing to emerging decoupling patterns within CIS countries. Importantly, the interaction between renewable energy and institutional quality reveals a pronounced complementary effect, suggesting that stronger governance frameworks amplify the environmental benefits of energy transition. Taken together, the findings underscore that environmental sustainability across CIS economies is jointly determined by structural, economic, and institutional factors, with institutional quality serving as a critical lever for advancing progress toward SDG 13.