The Impact of Political Stability on Environmental Quality in the Long Run: The Case of Turkey

Abstract

In the 21st century, environmental problems are considered the biggest challenges. Turkey is one of the emerging markets that need to improve the quality of their environment. In the literature, how political risk affects the environment in Turkey has not been studied. In order to contribute to the issue, this study aims to determine the impact of political stability on the quality of the environment in Turkey. The present study investigates the effect of political stability on environmental quality, taking into account the critical role of economic growth, environmental regulation, patents in environmental technologies, and renewable energy consumption in Turkey from 1990 to 2019. The present study used nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) models to investigate the effect of political stability on environmental quality in Turkey. The empirical findings show that political stability in Turkey reduces environmental deregulation by declining CO2 emissions. Similarly, patents in environmental technologies and renewable energy consumption positively contribute to the environmental quality in Turkey by decreasing CO2 emissions. On the other hand, economic growth has a significant positive effect on CO2 emissions. This study suggests that political stability is an important indicator of environmental quality in Turkey. In order to ensure the continuity of Turkey’s environmental sustainability, political tension in the country should be controlled by politicians, and it is recommended that Turkey should turn to and invest in renewable energy sources by following technological innovation.