This study investigates the impacts of economic factors, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects, and artificial intelligence (AI) elements on the energy transition in three OECD countries through skills enhancement. The CS-ARDL model analyzes long-term relationships and short-term dynamics in panel data, considering cross-sectional dependencies from 2022 to 2026. The results show that economic factors negatively impact the energy transition, but skills enhancement leads to a more positive outcome, while environmental factors have a positive impact. However, although economic factors and AI show negative correlations with the energy transition, governance factors show positive correlations with economic growth through skills enhancement.strategies that promote immediate economic expansion may harm long-term environmental and social impacts, negatively affecting the energy transition. Therefore, adopting a holistic strategy that integrates economic, environmental, social, and AI elements is essential for achieving economic growth.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) serve as fundamental pillars for societal advancement and economic growth, acting as the primary source of human capital for all other sectors. In the era of the “ESG-Digital Nexus,” this study investigates the critical intersection of digital leadership and sustainable development within the academic landscape. The primary objective of this research is to propose and validate a to collect data from a representative sample of faculty members and administrative staff in higher education. With a valid sample size of 326 participants, the data were analyzed using advanced statistical techniques, specifically employing SPSS for data processing and Amos (v.26) for structural equation modeling. The findings reveal a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between digital leadership and sustainable development. The results demonstrate that effective digital leadership acts as a critical catalyst, significantly influencing the institution's capacity to achieve sustainable development goals.

Higher education institutions play a vital role in fostering a sustainable environment for growth. Faculty members and leaders of these institutions are among the most influential figures, in shaping students, who are seen as potential leaders. This research aims to investigate the relationship between higher education leadership, sustainability strategies, environmentally friendly practices and environmentally conscious behaviors among students in Iraqi universities. It also explores the mediating role of sustainability policy in this relationship within the Iraqi higher education context. Methodology / Design / Approach: This research employed a quantitative exploratory research methodology. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 218 full-time students enrolled in selected Iraqi universities. A path model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to evaluate the conceptual hypotheses. Results: The results revealed that higher education leadership in Iraqi universities has a significant impact on sustainability policy and the adoption of environmentally friendly practices within these institutions. Furthermore, sustainability policy was found to mediate the relationship between higher education leadership and sustainable practices. It is concluded that integrating sustainable practices into Iraqi higher education institutions promotes the development of environmentally friendly behavior among students.

In conclusion, this research demonstrates that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a genuine qualitative leap in the field of management in general, and in the administrative decision-making process in particular. The study's findings confirm a strong correlation and a significant positive impact of using AI technologies on improving the quality of administrative decisions in Iraqi Public Sector. This enhances their ability to meet contemporary challenges and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The study employed a quantitative approach to data collection and analysis, concluding that adopting AI effectively contributes to enhancing the quality of administrative decisions and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage for organizations. The research included taking a random sample of (450) employees in Public Sector from three public institutions by using a questionnaire as the main tool for collecting data. The results were analyzed using the statistical software AMOS- SPSS version in terms of quality with a positive statistical significance.