A Poverty of Reason: Sustainable Development and Economic Growth

Sustainable development and economic growth have become increasingly important issues in modern society. Since the concept of sustainable development was proposed, countries have been exploring ways to achieve sustainable development under the premise of good economic development. This article takes two friendly cities, Chengdu in China and Sheffield in the UK, as examples and uses the PESTLE analysis method to comprehensively analyze the relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, and make a comparative analysis of the two cities. Based on this, the study found that economic growth and sustainable development have a mutually reinforcing role. Economic growth is beneficial to the realization of sustainable development, and sustainable development also promotes economic growth. Sustainable development and economic growth can be achieved simultaneously in a number of ways. Therefore, it is suggested that all regions should promote coordinated development of the economy, environment, society, and other aspects to promote high-quality sustainable development in the region.

This research is initiated by analyzing the post-pandemic period through digitalization and economic growth. In this research, we reopened the topics such as digitalization, sustainable development, and innovation. This research has also brought new sustainable development horizons, particularly in Europe. We are investigating the significance of innovation and research in pursuing sustainable development and digitalization in the social impact of economic innovations. It also examines specific innovative solutions that have positively impacted sustainable development. It marks a new phase with a gradual shift towards a retrospective analysis of COVID-19. For example, Switzerland has implemented a comprehensive recycling program. Federal measures to promote the circular economy are based on the principles of precaution and “polluter pays”, technological progress and innovation, and cooperation with industry under the Law on environmental protection. Sweden has pioneered renewable energy solutions; the country boasts seven municipalities that are 98% fossil-free. The UK has introduced innovative financial instruments to support green investments. This phase assessed how economic recovery and sustainability initiatives were influenced in these nations, considering their advanced level of innovation and ability to implement innovative solutions to post-pandemic challenges. This interest is demonstrated through increased resource allocation and support for initiatives that foster technological progress and sustainability, indicating a clear trend toward integrating innovative solutions into economic strategies. It delves into how these countries have balanced and incorporated these elements in the aftermath of the pandemic, highlighting specific strategies and outcomes in each case of countries. This research, bolstered by bibliometric analysis, underscores the importance of innovation in navigating the complexity of post-pandemic economic recovery and sustainability and compares leading nations. This research thoroughly delves into how countries have balanced and incorporated various elements in the aftermath of the pandemic. It meticulously highlights specific strategies and outcomes in each case, using bibliometric analysis to emphasize the importance of innovation in navigating post-pandemic economic recovery and sustainability. It compares the approaches and achievements of leading nations, providing insights into how innovation has driven their progress during this challenging period. This research looks at the effects of regional crises, such as the European debt post-pandemic destabilization, on economic environments through digitalization and the sustainable economy. For instance, the pandemic led to a significant decline in tourism revenue in Switzerland, a disruption in global supply chains for Sweden, and a decrease in foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom. Thus, following these goals, many beneficial reforms emerged. Our exploration into how innovation and research drive sustainable development and impact society through economic advancements is an ongoing journey. By analyzing the innovation indicator (GII 2023), this study highlights the critical importance of blending innovative research with economic policies to boost resilience and adaptability as the world shifts to a post-pandemic reality. This study spotlights the social dimensions of financial innovation and explores how sustainable practices can help alleviate unemployment, inequality, and other socioeconomic gaps while fostering a circular economic culture. It delves into how these practices foster a circular economy mindset and provide practical frameworks for sustainable economic development growth in a post-pandemic world.

This study investigated the impact of the people category of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on sustainable and conventional economic growth in Asia and the Pacific region, using a sample of 52 selected countries between 2000 and 2023. Employing two distinct models, model A1 for conventional economic growth and model A2 for sustainable economic growth, we explained the relationships between five SDG indicators: employed poverty rate, stunted children, expenditure on health, expenditure of education, and % of women MNAs on economic growth. This study employed a fixed-effect model and random-effect model to investigate the impact of the people category SDGs on traditional and sustainable economic growth. The comparative analysis of each SDG in both models revealed valuable insights. SDG 1, “employed poverty rate”, has a positive impact on economic growth in both models, while SDG 2, “percentage of stunted child”, did not significantly influence economic growth in either model. Moreover, SDG 3 and SDG 4, relating to “government’s health expenditure per capita” and “government’s Education education expenditure per capita”, respectively, exhibited a positive impact on traditional and sustainable economic growth. Conversely, SDG 5, “percentage of women members of national parliament”, displayed an insignificant impact on traditional and sustainable economic growth models. In conclusion, this study suggests that policymakers should prioritize targeted interventions to alleviate employed poverty, enhance healthcare, and boost education spending. Moreover, promoting women’s representation in national parliaments should be approached with context-specific strategies to maximize its impact on economic growth.

ABSTRACTThis study examines the role of regulatory quality toward the achievement of India's sustainable economic growth. India's economy is known for its policy structure that guarantees infrastructural development and ease of doing business (EOD). EOD is a mechanism for achieving a structural development that stems from the informal economy. This has impacted India's economy positively through the increase in the small and medium businesses and enterprises (SMEs) because of the increasing participation of private agents in building and developing the entire economy. Hence, this study chooses India's economy as a specimen to examine the possible contribution of the selected variables as they are considered prevailing economic factors in India's economic performance. The direct motive of this study is to test and compare the impact of regulatory quality on EOD and economic growth in pursuit of sustainable economic development. While the focus is on the role of regulatory quality on EOD and economic growth, other vital and prevailing economic factors (banking efficiency, FDI and labor force participation rate) in India are introduced to the modeling of this study. India's economy is known for its policy structure that guarantees infrastructural development and EOD. It will add to the growth and sustainability literature to investigate the economy with respect to the implication of regulatory quality and EOD toward achieving sustainable economic growth; hence, the need for this study. For insightful research into the objectives, this study adopts a two‐model approach centered on economic growth and EOD. The study adopts Augmented Least Squares (RALS), newly developed RALS‐EG (Engle and Granger test), fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) techniques for effective analysis and justification of the objectives of this study. The findings from this analysis revealed the importance of regulatory quality to both economic growth and EOD for India through a positive interaction with the two targeted variables (i.e., economic growth and EOD). EOD has a positive link with economic growth; bank efficiency has a positive link with both economic growth and EOD; FDI has a positive link between economic growth and EOD. This shows that FDI, bank efficiency, and EOD policies will foster sustainable economic growth for India.

Sustainable economic growth and identifying factors affecting it are among the important issues which have always received attention from researchers of different countries. Accordingly, one of the factors affecting economic growth, which has received attention from researchers in the developed countries over recent years, is the issue of environmental technologies that enter the economic cycle of other countries after being patented through technology transfer. The current research investigated the role of the environment-related patents and the effects of the patented technological innovations compatible with climate change mitigation on the economic growth and development in the Middle East countries within a specific time period. The required data were gathered from the valid global databases, including Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Bank and have been analyzed using multi-linear regression methods and econometric models with Eviews 10 software. The obtained results with 95% confidence level show that the environmental patents (β = 0.02) and environment management (β = 0.04) and technologies related to the climate change mitigation (β = 0.02) have a significant positive impact on the sustainable economic development and growth rate in the studied countries. Such a study helps innovators and policymakers in policy decisions related to sustainable development programs from the perspective of environmentally friendly technologies by demonstrating the role of patents in three important environmental areas, namely environmental management, water-related adaptation and climate change mitigation, as one of the factors influencing sustainable economic growth.

The Brundtland Commission Report of 1987 laid out the case for ongoing economic growth as an essential prerequisite for sustainable development. This paper identifies reasoning utilized in that Report to support the idea of ‘sustainable economic growth’. The paper then argues that this economic progrowth bias has continued to represent the dominant, mainstream viewpoint within the sustainable-development movement. In a similar vein, the paper suggests widespread support for the idea of ‘smart growth’ as a form of ‘sustainable urban growth’ capable of advancing the end of sustainable cities. The purpose of the paper is to make the case for the intrinsically unsustainable nature of economic and urban growth. Included among the results of the paper are references to publications from the 1990s and the current decade revealing mounting evidence of existent ecological limits to growth. As its central conclusion the paper argues that continued allegiance to the idea of ‘sustainable growth’ constitutes a major impediment to realizing the ends of sustainable development and sustainable cities.

This dissertation is based on examining China’s long-term economic growth sustainability, and its effects and consequences on the world. For this purpose, the study set objectives regarding identifying various factors of sustainable economic growth of China, assessing effects of China’s economic growth sustainability on global setting and evaluating consequences of sustainable economic growth of China on the world. The research considered a qualitative method of research where authentic and reliable secondary sources were identified and included. The findings highlighted that various factor including large-scale capital investment, increased use of natural resources for additional investments, FDI flows, government-initiated policies, investment and attainment of foreign businesses, build-up of foreign exchange reserves, incorporation of market-oriented institutional changes, rural industrialization and technological innovation have contributed to China’s sustainable economic growth over the years. The findings also revealed that effects of China’s sustainable economic growth on global setting can be seen as Chinese allies and close trading partners have been positively impacted by rebalancing investments towards consumption of products. The findings further mentioned that consequences of sustainable economic growth of China for developed countries can be perceived as exploitation of natural resources has been reduced and focus on non-renewable technologies has been increased by China, which have made China globally competitive. Success of China is a reminder for the developing world to take its economic growth as an example that creates an influence on the global environment. Therefore, it is recommended to developing countries that use of non-renewable resources, infrastructure spending, expenditure for transport accessibility, improvement in internal market structure, liberalization and reforms will be beneficial in achieving sustainable economic development.

Subject. The article focuses on the need to coordinate efforts stimulating the economic growth and environmental protection so as to drive the economic development without any losses and difficulties. Objectives. In the study, we examine the mechanism for the mutual impact of the economic growth in industries and the environmental protections so as to build the empirical basis for the reasonable natural protection policy. Methods. Theoretical projects are based on the analysis of economic literature and empirical studies on resources, environment and sustainable economic development in the existing theories of economic growth. Results. We substantiate and corroborate the assumption that the gist of green development implies the sustainable economic and social development driven by a concerted and sustainable economic and environmental growth. The understanding of natural environment should be totally revised so as to convey that the natural environment is not a resource that can be consumed eternally, but does have its own limits. Conclusions and Relevance. In the future, Russia’s economy should rely upon the sustainable development model, where the green constituent will dictate a new strategy underlying the national economic growth and advancement.

The issue of compatibility of sustainable development policies, institutional quality, and economic growth gains on importance as the world races towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper aims to examine the relationship between sustainable development, institutional quality, and economic growth between the years 2012 and 2021 in 116 countries. The quantile regression method has been employed in this study to capture various relationship nexuses in different quantiles of growth. The common 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th quantiles have been selected. The official Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index is applied to proxy the holistic conceptualization and policy achievement of the United Nation’s SDGs. The findings show a negative relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, indicating that achieving sustainable development goals will harm the economic growth. Increasing negative coefficient values from lower to higher quantiles imply increasing opportunity cost of degrowth towards increasing sustainable development. Besides, institutional quality did not affect economic growth, either directly or indirectly. The study suggests the necessity to review the existing policies, institutional structures, and strategies to foster compatibility between sustainable development, institutional quality, and growth.

The word "sustainable" is on everyone's lips and every publication; however, it is over-and misused as a trend for marketing and profit purposes, sometimes unethically for "greenwashing". This distortion creates an obstacle in creating a more sustainable world and leads authors to describe sustainable development and economic growth as oxymorons. This paper describes the relationship between sustainable development and economic growth and explains how sustainability reporting, particularly management, governance and social disclosures (GRI 100), could effectively stimulate economic growth. However, to reach a sustainable model, the paper recommends a mental and theoretical transformation in economic growth's perception to move from profit maximisation to optimisation. Finally, the manuscript calls to intensify research in this direction for a sustainable transformation of our society.

This study aims to explore the sustainable development of the regional economy from the perspective of human capital. Based on the panel data from 2005 to 2019 in Shandong Province, China, this study first analyzes the interactive coupling mechanism between human capital and sustainable economic growth, and then constructs the evaluation model of coupling coordination degree. Results reveal that Shandong Province’s human capital and sustainable economic growth gradually increased; the coupling coordination degree of human capital and sustainable economic growth changed from a state of mild imbalance to slight coordination; sustainable economic growth lagged human capital development; education scale, innovation capacity, growth level, economic openness, and investment and consumption level are the key factors affecting sustainable economic development. Through the above research, the study puts forward policy suggestions conducive to sustainable development in China.

The paper examines the multifaceted concept of sustainable development in the context of economic theory and philosophy. In addition to the introduction and findings, the paper is divided into three main parts: historical background, the scientific view of sustainable development, and sustainable development and economic growth. It examines the historical development of sustainable development as an economic category, its theoretical underpinnings and the philosophical discourse that shapes its interpretation and implementation. The paper highlights the tensions and synergies between economic growth and environmental protection by analysing different economic models and sustainability paradigms. This paper presents a critical analysis of the historical background, scientific view of sustainable development and its relationship with economic growth. It offers a nuanced understanding of sustainable development, providing insights into its role in shaping future economic policies and practices. The paper is based on a comprehensive review of literature and theoretical perspectives, and the process of creating it included the study of scientific and professional literature, the extraction of key topics, their mutual comparison, and the use of scientific methods such as induction, deduction, analysis and synthesis. The research yielded five principal findings. (1) The majority of models of sustainable development place the environmental aspect at the forefront. The authors believe that the economic and social dimensions of sustainable development are equally important in the context of new global threats. It is therefore evident that a transitional concept is required. (2) Among leading economists, there is a considerable range of views on the relationship between economic balance, growth and cyclicality, and sustainable development. A historical analysis corroborates the veracity of the dialectical approach to balance and development, thereby refuting the orthodoxy. (3) The free market model is unable to self-regulate as a result of rapid population growth and the worsening of environmental problems. Despite the high transformation rate of the market as an institution, social justice and environmental protection institutions are formed at an exceptionally slow rate in the free market. This model results in social stratification and the destruction of ecosystems. (4) For the sustainable development of society in the context of globalisation, it is necessary to implement systematic and proportional economic development mechanisms. (5) The concept of sustainable development requires clarification in modern conditions.

Military spending and sustainable economic development have been widely discussed in recent decades. Especially in Romania, the defense budget is valued at $4.8 billion, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.57%. It is also expected to reach $7.6 billion in 2023, according to a report by Strategic Defense Intelligence. There is no consensus in current research and less attention is paid to Eastern European countries. Considering the significant increase in military spending in Romania in recent years, as well as the occurrence of political events, this paper focuses on the dynamic causal relationship between military spending and sustainable economic growth in Romania. The bootstrap rolling window causality test takes into account the structural changes, and therefore, provides more convincing results. The results indicate negative effects of military expenditure on sustainable economic growth between 1996–1999 and 2002–2004. It can be attributed to the crowding-out effect of public expenditure on private investment. The positive effect between the two variables analyzed is noticed with the accession of Romania to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Conversely, it is found that economic growth does not have a significant effect on military spending in Romania. Policymakers should guard against the crowding out of private consumption and investment due to excessive military spending and ensure to increase military expenditure on the premise of sustainable economic development.

Abstract: Whistle-blowing activities around the world have generated huge interests from concerned parties such as the financial and public service, as the aftermath of its neglect often has dilapidating effects on the sustainability of economic growth and development of the nation. This is often seen in the 3rd world nations, such as Nigeria. This study aimed to examine the existing phenomenon between whistle-blowing, economic sustainability, growth and development of Nigeria. This study adopted the Theory of Planned Behavior. However, this was a literature review study that basically draws inferences from studies in this field from different continents (i.e. Europe, America, Asia and Africa). Consequently, the objective of this study was to conceptually investigate the whistle-blowing activities in Nigeria as to how it has assisted in curbing corruption in the public space in turn and improving the economic growth and development. In furtherance, this study reviewed events in African countries with close indexation with Nigeria. Therefore, this study concludes that whistle-blowing has a direct impact on sustainable economic growth and development of Nigeria. This is evident in the Transparency International index report. Lastly, this study recommends that whistleblowing policy should be properly implemented in public institutions to achieve minimum involvement of corruption in the country and that whistleblowers should be protected to encourage disclosure of corrupt acts in the public sector. This in turn will assist in the attainment of sustainable economic growth and development.
 Keyword: Whistleblowing, sustainable economic growth, theory of planned behaviour

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between financial inclusion, ICT development, renewable energy, and sustainable economic growth in the MENA region. Recognizing the growing importance of these factors in shaping the trajectory of sustainable economic development. This paper aims to contribute to the existing literature by providing new evidence from the MENA region, on how the interaction between financial inclusion and ICT development can lead to higher economic growth. This Study examines the impact of ICT diffusion and financial inclusion on economic growth by using an economic growth model that incorporates the joint effect of these two factors. The study employs dynamic panel system GMM estimation and focuses on a sample of 15 countries in the MENA region from 2004 to 2021. The findings reveal significant and positive associations between financial inclusion, ICT development, and sustainable growth in the MENA region. The findings reveal that financial inclusion has a positive effect on growth, ICT is expected to enhance growth by improving digital skills and increasing the efficiency of the financial market, particularly in the banking sector. Effective use of ICT, such as branchless banking and mobile banking, can be cost-effective and improve financial accessibility for previously marginalized individuals, thereby fostering financial inclusion. The interaction effects between ICT diffusion and finance are positive, indicating that the combined impact of ICT and financial inclusion can mitigate the negative effects of ICT investments.