IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/vrs/ecobur/v9y2023i3p66-97n1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Socio-economic determinants of environmental degradation: Empirical evidence for the Environmental Kuznets Curve

Author

Listed:
  • Gültekin Ömer Faruk

    (Bayburt University, Vocational School of Social Sciences, 69000, Bayburt, Turkey)

  • Sayar Ramazan

    (Bayburt University, International Trade and Business Department, 69000, Bayburt, Turkey)

  • Ari Yılmaz Onur

    (Bayburt University, International Trade and Business Department, 69000, Bayburt, Turkey)

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to examine socio-economic determinants of environmental degradation. The empirical study employs quantile regression which enables separate predictions for different levels of the dependent variable to be made. This study investigated 62 countries from low, middle and some high income countries for 1995–2019. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) is verified for the aforemented countries in analyzing the relationship between economic growth and carbon emissions using quantile regression. The study also revealed that the schooling rate has a pollution-increasing effect. In addition to the reducing effects of trade openness, democracy, and economic freedom variables on environmental degradation, the opposite effect of life expectancy at birth is observed, increasing environmental degradation. In this context, this paper concluded that the EKC hypothesis is not supported. The government should encourage pollution-reducing policies in low and middle income countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Gültekin Ömer Faruk & Sayar Ramazan & Ari Yılmaz Onur, 2023. "Socio-economic determinants of environmental degradation: Empirical evidence for the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 9(3), pages 66-97, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:ecobur:v:9:y:2023:i:3:p:66-97:n:1
    DOI: 10.18559/ebr.2023.3.797
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2023.3.797
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.18559/ebr.2023.3.797?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moon, H.R.Hyungsik Roger & Perron, Benoit, 2004. "Testing for a unit root in panels with dynamic factors," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 81-126, September.
    2. Grossman, G.M & Krueger, A.B., 1991. "Environmental Impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement," Papers 158, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Public and International Affairs.
    3. Mortaza Ojaghlou & Erginbay Ugurlu & Marta Kadłubek & Eleftherios Thalassinos, 2023. "Economic Activities and Management Issues for the Environment: An Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and STIRPAT Analysis in Turkey," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, April.
    4. Busse, Matthias & Hefeker, Carsten, 2007. "Political risk, institutions and foreign direct investment," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 397-415, June.
    5. Chen, Wenhui & Lei, Yalin, 2018. "The impacts of renewable energy and technological innovation on environment-energy-growth nexus: New evidence from a panel quantile regression," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Muhammad Khan, 2020. "CO2 emissions and sustainable economic development: New evidence on the role of human capital," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1279-1288, September.
    7. McPherson, Michael A. & Nieswiadomy, Michael L., 2005. "Environmental Kuznets curve: threatened species and spatial effects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 395-407, November.
    8. William T. Harbaugh & Arik Levinson & David Molloy Wilson, 2002. "Reexamining The Empirical Evidence For An Environmental Kuznets Curve," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 84(3), pages 541-551, August.
    9. Le, Thai-Ha & Chang, Youngho & Park, Donghyun, 2016. "Trade openness and environmental quality: International evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 45-55.
    10. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    11. Yin, Zhaohui & Jiang, Xiaomeng & Lin, Songyue & Liu, Jin, 2022. "The impact of online education on carbon emissions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic – Taking Chinese universities as examples," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    12. Tian-Tian Zhu & Hua-Rong Peng & Yue-Jun Zhang & Jing-Yue Liu, 2021. "Does higher education development facilitate carbon emissions reduction in China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(47), pages 5490-5502, October.
    13. Koenker, Roger W & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1978. "Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(1), pages 33-50, January.
    14. Brian C. O’Neill & Leiwen Jiang & Samir KC & Regina Fuchs & Shonali Pachauri & Emily K. Laidlaw & Tiantian Zhang & Wei Zhou & Xiaolin Ren, 2020. "The effect of education on determinants of climate change risks," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(7), pages 520-528, July.
    15. Sini, Snow & Abdul-Rahim, A.S. & Chin, Lee & Said, Rusmawati & Sulaiman, Chindo, 2022. "Natural resources’ impact on capital flow and conflict relationship in Africa: A novel insight from GMM and quantile regression," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Tanattrin Bunnag, 2023. "Analyzing Short-run and Long-run Causality Relationship among CO2 Emission, Energy Consumption, GDP, Square of GDP, and Foreign Direct Investment in Environmental Kuznets Curve for Thailand," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(2), pages 341-348, March.
    17. Dinda, Soumyananda, 2004. "Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis: A Survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 431-455, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muhammad Khan & Arslan Tariq Rana & Wafa Ghardallou, 2023. "FDI and CO2 emissions in developing countries: the role of human capital," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 117(1), pages 1125-1155, May.
    2. Atwi, Majed & Barberán, Ramón & Mur, Jesús & Angulo, Ana, 2018. "CO2 Kuznets Curve Revisited: From Cross-Sections to Panel Data Models," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 40, pages 169-196.
    3. Opoku, Eric Evans Osei & Dogah, Kingsley E. & Aluko, Olufemi Adewale, 2022. "The contribution of human development towards environmental sustainability," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    4. Tutulmaz, Onur, 2015. "Environmental Kuznets Curve time series application for Turkey: Why controversial results exist for similar models?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 73-81.
    5. Alexandra Soberon & Irene D’Hers, 2020. "The Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Semiparametric Approach with Cross-Sectional Dependence," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, November.
    6. Yang, Qiang & Huo, Jiale & Saqib, Najia & Mahmood, Haider, 2022. "Modelling the effect of renewable energy and public-private partnership in testing EKC hypothesis: Evidence from methods moment of quantile regression," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 485-494.
    7. Carlos A. Flores & Alfonso Flores-Lagunes & Dimitrios Kapetanakis, 2014. "Lessons From Quantile Panel Estimation of the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Econometric Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(8), pages 815-853, November.
    8. Mumin Atalay Cetin & Ibrahim Bakirtas, 2020. "The long-run environmental impacts of economic growth, financial development, and energy consumption: Evidence from emerging markets," Energy & Environment, , vol. 31(4), pages 634-655, June.
    9. Muhammad, Sulaman & Long, Xingle & Salman, Muhammad & Dauda, Lamini, 2020. "Effect of urbanization and international trade on CO2 emissions across 65 belt and road initiative countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    10. Abdul Majid Awan & Muhammad Azam, 2022. "Evaluating the impact of GDP per capita on environmental degradation for G-20 economies: Does N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve exist?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(9), pages 11103-11126, September.
    11. Ozcan, Burcu, 2013. "The nexus between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in Middle East countries: A panel data analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1138-1147.
    12. Emad Kazemzadeh & José Alberto Fuinhas & Matheus Koengkan & Fariba Osmani, 2022. "The Heterogeneous Effect of Economic Complexity and Export Quality on the Ecological Footprint: A Two-Step Club Convergence and Panel Quantile Regression Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-24, September.
    13. Belaïd, Fateh & Zrelli, Maha Harbaoui, 2019. "Renewable and non-renewable electricity consumption, environmental degradation and economic development: Evidence from Mediterranean countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    14. Hatem M'henni & Mohamed El Hedi Arouri & Adel Ben Youssef & Christophe Rault, 2011. "Income Level and Environmental Quality in The MENA Countries: Discussing the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis," Working Papers 587, Economic Research Forum, revised 05 Jan 2011.
    15. Roxana Pincheira & Felipe Zuniga, 2021. "Environmental Kuznets curve bibliographic map: a systematic literature review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(S1), pages 1931-1956, April.
    16. Wang, Wei & Rehman, Mubeen Abdur & Fahad, Shah, 2022. "The dynamic influence of renewable energy, trade openness, and industrialization on the sustainable environment in G-7 economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 484-491.
    17. Yutong Zhang & Wei Zhou & Danxue Luo, 2023. "The Relationship Research between Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Growth: From Multi-Level Attempts to Key Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    18. Ajanaku, B.A. & Collins, A.R., 2021. "Economic growth and deforestation in African countries: Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis applicable?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    19. Richard T. Carson, 2010. "The Environmental Kuznets Curve: Seeking Empirical Regularity and Theoretical Structure," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 4(1), pages 3-23, Winter.
    20. Arouri, Mohamed El Hedi & Ben Youssef, Adel & M'henni, Hatem & Rault, Christophe, 2012. "Energy consumption, economic growth and CO2 emissions in Middle East and North African countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 342-349.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    environmental degredation; economic development; EKC; panel data; quantile regression;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vrs:ecobur:v:9:y:2023:i:3:p:66-97:n:1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.