Do energy efficiency and export quality affect the ecological footprint in emerging countries? A two-step approach using the SBM–DEA model and panel quantile regression

Abstract

The research was performed in sixteen emerging countries from 1990 to 2014, using a two-step approach. First, a slacks-based (SBM) -data envelopment analysis (DEA) model annually estimates countries' resources and energy efficiency. In the second step, a panel quantile regression was used to assess the impacts of resources and energy efficiency, export quality, and the other variables on the ecological footprint. The SBM-DEA model revealed that Turkey and Hungary were the countries that got the better rank, and China and India got the worst rank on resources and energy efficiency mean. Quantile regression revealed that resources, energy efficiency, and trade openness reduce the ecological footprint. On the other hand, GDP, consumption of fossil fuels, and population contribute to deteriorating the environmental footprint. Export quality and urban population worsen the ecological footprint but only in some quantiles. Export quality in 10th and 25th quantiles and the case of the urban population all quantiles except the 10th one aggravates the ecological footprint. Thus, from a policy perspective, we have variables that require different kinds of intervention to mitigate/reduce the ecological footprint, i.e., requires many policy measures and the active collaboration of citizens.

Factors driving CO2 emissions: the role of energy transition and brain drain

“…Generally, countries pay less attention to the environment in the early stages of economic growth. Findings of Kazemzadeh et al (2022a), Kazemzadeh et al (2022b) for emerging economies, for 25 countries, Adams et al (2020) for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are consistent with the research results. Finally, results show that brain drain (LBD) at all levels except 75th has positive and significant effects on CO2 emissions.…”

“…It means that ecological degradation is further reduced at the highest levels of energy efficiency. Salari et al (2021) and Kazemzadeh et al (2022b), In separate studies for emerging countries, stated that energy efficiency could help reduce environmental degradation. Urbanization results (LURB) show that only quantiles 10th and 25th have negative and significant effects on CO2 emissions, not significant in other quantile levels.…”

Interrelationship between international trade and environmental performance: Theoretical approaches and indicators for sustainable development

“…(−): Heil & Selden, 2001; Cole, 2006; Al‐Mulali & Ozturk, 2015; Koengkan, 2018; Udemba, 2019; Yang & Li, 2019; Sajid et al, 2020; Zhou, 2020; Huang & Liu, 2021; Ibrahim & Ajide, 2021b; Liu, Nathaniel, et al, 2021; Kazemzadeh et al, 2022; Nchofoung & Asongu, 2022…”

Improving weak efficiency frontier in a variable returns to scale stochastic data envelopment analysis model

“…Performance management is an important part of operations research and management science. There are many techniques for performance management in operations research, however, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an effective technique [1] that has been applied in key sectors such as finance [2], energy management and sustainability [3,4] among others. DEA evaluates relative efficiency of entities known as decision-making units (DMUs) with multiple inputs and outputs.…”