The phenomenon of digitisation of the public sector is an irreversible process that affects both the way public institutions are organised and the communication relationships between people and institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a challenge and a strong impetus in accelerating the digitisation process of public administration at the global level such that it is currently difficult to make a clear distinction between governance and e-governance. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the intensification of the digitisation process of public services in increasing the efficiency of governments at the level of the member states of the European Union, based on a cluster analysis. A robust least squares regression method was used to estimate the effects of the three dimensions of the e-government development index (EGDI) on government effectiveness. The results of the analysis highlighted the fact that the skills of the population in using online services determine the increase in a double percentage of government efficiency in intensively digitised states compared to states where the digitisation of public services is less developed. The development of the telecommunications infrastructure also has a significant positive impact on the efficiency of the government. However, online services offered by public authorities have proven to negatively influence government efficiency in both clusters.

Blue Economy represents a new and interesting concept on a global level, both from the economic potential but also by the fact that it can be used to reduce environmental degradation. The main goal of this research is to identify the causality relations between the greenhouse gas emissions, the Blue Economy and economic growth based on a panel of annual data from the 28 countries that are members of the European Union (EU) over the 2009–2018 period. After applying stationarity and cointegration tests, the long term cointegration coefficients shall be determined with the help of the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimator. Granger causality estimation based on the vector error correction model (VECM) was applied to identify the causality relationship between the variables and to detect the direction of causality. Based on the identified causality relations, the Blue Economy has a significant influence on greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. Unidirectional causality relations were identified from the economic growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, as well as from the greenhouse gas emissions on economic growth in the short term.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing e-commerce and to evaluate the long and short-term impacts on the development of e-commerce activity. After establishing the hypotheses to verify, we use multiple panel regressions to test the influence of education level, consumer’s residence, consumer’s labour market status, internet banking, mobile and non-mobile users on the development of e-commerce. For this matter, in this paper, by adopting the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method and a vector error correction model (VECM), we performed an empirical analysis of the nexus between education level, consumer’s residence, consumer’s labour market status, internet banking and mobile and non-mobile users and e-commerce, based on panel data for EU–27 countries from 2011 to 2020. The results of the study indicate that all the variables involved in the two econometric models and associated with education level, consumer’s residence, labour market status, internet banking, mobile and non-mobile users, all have significant impacts on the development of e-commerce. Most of the variables positively influence the development of e-commerce except for internet purchases by individuals un-employed and for internet purchases by non-mobile users that are negatively correlated with e-commerce activity.

Implementing public policies linked to sustainable development is a global challenge for most countries that focused their efforts on identifying and improving the factors that led to environment degradation. The current paper analyzes the influence of primary indicators of public finances (public debt and budget deficit) on renewable-energy consumption (REN), for the emerging economies within the European Union. The main objective of this research is to understand the implications of fiscal measures on the sustainable development of a country and thus provide directions for stimulating renewable-energy consumption. The research starts with cross-sectional dependence analysis by using the Breusch–Pagan Lagrange multiplier (LM) test that is followed by cointegration relationships among variables by applying two appropriate panel-cointegration tests (Pedroni and Johansen). The research methodology is based on the fully modified ordinary-least-squares (FMOLS) method in order to test the long-run relationships, and on the pairwise Granger causality test in order to identify the direction of causality among variables. Results show unilateral influences from public debt and budget deficit on the analyzed variables, especially on renewable-energy consumption, and a bidirectional causality relationship between budget deficit and trade openness.

E-commerce has gained momentum with the rapid development of technology, and nowadays, we are permanently connected, with constant access to information and a wide range of products. Not only does a desktop computer offer us this possibility, but the latest-generation tablets and mobile phones create a broad framework. This paper investigates Romanian consumers’ attitudes towards adopting mobile technology for commerce (m-commerce), taking into account its development in the last few years, especially among younger generations. The main objectives of the research are to identify the preference for m-commerce use among Generation Z, establish the ways and the devices used by Gen Z individuals to inform about the products and services and order them, and analyze the factors influencing the use of m-commerce applications. The research methodology consists of conducting an empirical analysis using a distributed survey among youngsters from Generation Z in Romania. We used descriptive statistics, such as the analysis of frequency and the mean of variables, artificial neural network analysis (ANN), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), to validate the hypotheses. The research results indicate a solid inclination for m-commerce among Generation Z. The results are helpful for companies that can shape their marketing strategies to boost their sales using m-commerce channels among the younger population.

In response to climate change that threatens both economic and social sustainable development, governments adopt strict environmental policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the use of energy from renewable sources. The main purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the strictness of environmental policy can influence the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of renewable energy in selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) method and Granger causality test were employed in order to investigate the long-run relationship between the main components of the environmental policy stringency index and the evolution of greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy consumption. The results indicate significant influences of the Market-based instruments sub-index and the Technology Support policies sub-index on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, while the Non-Market Based instruments index, which includes policies that impose emission limits and standards, does not exert any significant influence in this regard. Regarding the impact on renewable energy consumption, the results of this study indicate significant positive influences from the perspective of the three sub-indices used in the analysis. These results should send a signal to decision-makers on the effectiveness of policies that impose emission limits and standards, in the sense that their improvement will generate significant influences in mitigating climate change risks.