Relationships between economic complexity, renewable energy uptake and environmental degradation: A global study

A persistent rise in the emission of CO2 among several economies in the world makes it challenging to fulfil the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals. The present study empirically examines the connection between economic complexity, which is understood to be structural conversion headed for more refined information-based production, renewable energy demand, per capita income, trade openness, industrialisation, and CO2 emissions among income-based groups of nations from 1998–2021. It also incorporates partner economies of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project because these cover 65% of the global population. The findings of the panel autoregressive distributed lag model confirms that virtually all of the chosen samples of the various economies, aside from high-income economies, show that economic complexity degrades the environment. On the other hand, the demand for renewable energy enhances global environmental quality. The study highlights the significance of clean energy ventures and the production of greener quality products globally to minimise environmental damage

How technological knowledge management capability compliments knowledge‐intensive human resource management practices to enhance team outcomes: A moderated mediation analysis

Although research establishes a link between knowledge-intensive human resource (HR) practices (KIHRP) and knowledge-intensive team (KIT) performance, knowledge is limited about the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions that determine this relationship. This study integrates the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework and theory of team adaptation intoan information processing perspective to present a cohesive model that explains the mediating role of team knowledge sharing and reflexivity processes, and moderation of organization's technological knowledge management (KM) capability to explain the effect of KIHRP on KIT performance. Data were collected in three waves and from three sources consisting of 380 knowledge workers from 123 teams in 74 organizations in Pakistan. The findings indicate that KIHRP relates positively to KIT performance directly as well as via team knowledge sharing and reflexivity processes where the organization's technological KM capability further strengthens this relationshi

Metabolic rift theory and the complexities of water conflict between India and Pakistan: A pathway to effective environmental management

The exacerbation of the historical and geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, largely attributed to colonial legacies, is further amplified due to climate change-induced water conflicts. These environmental management issues stemming from the climate crisis are urgent, demanding innovative and collaborative solutions. The primary aim of this article is to elucidate the complexities of the water conflict between India and Pakistan and propose more effective environmental management strategies that will ultimately foster regional peace and stability. The article applies the metabolic rift theory, a sociological approach, to comprehensively explain crisis-led ecological challenges in the Indo-Pak context. By applying this theory, the article reveals that collective environmental management strategies, particularly those aimed at water resource management, can significantly mitigate the impact of climate crisis and the related climate-induced conflicts. The study also proposes a need-based approach to environmental management, stressing the importance of having integrated water resource planning (harmoniously) shared between India and Pakistan. This includes ensuring sustainable wastewater treatment, securing freshwater quality, and guaranteeing an equitable distribution and utilization of water resources between these two nations

How does economic complexity affect natural resource extraction in resource rich countries?

Several studies debate whether natural resources benefit or hurt an economy. In natural resource-rich economies researchers cannot conclude it. This study examines the relationship between natural resource rent, economic complexity, clean technology, and natural resource productivity capacity in 20 resource-rich economies from 2000 to 2021. Coal, oil, minerals, natural gases, and forest rents are disaggregated in the study. The economic complexity curvilinear function illustrates the inverse U-shaped relationship under the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) or the U-shaped relationship under load capacity curve (LCC) between economic complexity and natural resources rent. This study hypothesizes that economic complexity increases resource extraction curvilinearly, changing resource rents which may have implications in the transition towards clean energy under COP27 to achieve SDGs. The study shows the marginal effects of economic complexity at different levels of complexity and resource extraction using quadratic and quantile functions. This study first examines resource extraction quantiles. Economic complexity raises forest, coal, and mineral rents at low resource extraction. Economic complexity lowers forest, gas, oil, coal, and mineral rents at high resource extraction. This study describes the curvilinear function. At the median resource extraction level, economic complexity has an inverted U-shaped effect on forest, mineral, and coal rents and a U-shaped effect on gas and oil rents. This implies that an increase in economic complexity can be targeted which may reduce reliance on forests, minerals, and coal while reducing reliance on gas and oil, government effort, green technology, and productive capacity needed to be pursued

Connecting higher education and renewable energy to attain sustainability for BRICS countries: A climate Kuznets curve perspective

Purpose – Increased trapped heat in the atmosphere leads to global warming and economic activity is the primary culprit. This study proposes the nonlinear impact of economic activity on cooling degree days to develop a climate Kuznets curve (CKC). Further, this study explores the moderating role of higher education and renewable energy in diminishing the climate-altering effects of economic activity.Design/methodology/approach – All the selected BRICS economies range from 1992 to 2020. The CKC analysis uses a distribution and outlier robust panel quantile autoregressive distributed lagged model.Findings – Results confirmed a U-shaped CKC, controlling for population density, renewable energy, tertiary education enrollment and innovation. The moderating role of renewable energy and education can be exploited to tackle the progressively expanding climate challenges. Hence, education and renewable energy intervention can help in reducing CKC-based global warming.Research limitations/implications – This study highlighted the incorporation of climate change mitigating curriculum in education, so that the upcoming economic agents are well equipped to reduce global warming which must be addressed globally.Originality/value – This study is instrumental in developing the climate change-based economic activity Kuznets curve and assessing the potential of higher education and renewable energy policy intervention

Environmental sustainability through aggregate demand behavior – Does knowledge economy have global responsibility?

Purpose – This study aims to consider environmental sustainability, a global challenge under the preview of sustainable development goals, highlighting the significance of knowledge economy in attaining sustainable aggregate demand behavior globally. For this purpose, 155 countries that have data available from 1995 to 2021 were selected. The purpose of selecting these countries is to test the global responsibility of the knowledge economy to attain environmental sustainability.Design/methodology/approach – Results are estimated with the help of panel quantile regression. The empirical existence of aggregate demand-based environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) was tested using nonlinear tests. Moreover, principal component analysis has been incorporated to construct the knowledge economy index.Findings – U-shaped aggregate demand-based EKC at global level is validated. However, environmental deterioration increases with an additional escalation after US$497.945m in aggregate demand. As adeterminant, the knowledge economy is reducing CO2 emissions. The knowledge economy has played a significant role in global responsibility, shifting the EKC downward and extending the CO2 reduction phase for every selected country. Further, urbanization, energy intensity, financial development and trade openness significantly deteriorate the environmental quality.Originality/value – This study contains the empirical existence of aggregate demand-based EKC. The role of the knowledge economy is examined through an index which is calculated by using four pillars of the knowledge economy (technology, innovations, education and institutions). This study is based on a combined panel of all the countries for which the data was available

Role of knowledge economy in managing demand-based environmental Kuznets Curve

Aggregate demand or supply at equilibrium is commonly used as a representative of the macroeconomic activity of an economy whereby aggregate demand denotes the behaviour of individuals and households. However, aggregate demand can also directly affect environmental deterioration via changes in aggregate production. This study tried to explore this relationship, known as the demand-based Environmental Kuznets Curve (Demand EKC) and the role of different knowledge economy indicators. Knowledge economy indicators are proposed to influence consumption patterns, altering the demand EKC that empirical studies have understudied. For this purpose, secondary data for 147 countries were collected from 2008 to 2018, also classified as development-wise. This study found that aggregate demand significantly affects carbon emissions. The long-run results are estimated using the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square method. Controlling factors like renewable energy consumption, population density, and financial development significantly affect carbon emissions in sample countries. This study has incorporated four pillars of a knowledge-based economy and the results showed that these indicators helped reduce consumption-related CO2 emissions

Hybrid organisational form as a response to institutional complexity: The case of local municipally owned corporations in Lahore

This paper explores hybrid organisational forms that have emerged in response to institutional complexity. For this purpose, the paper studies organisational practices to explore hybrid characteristics in municipally owned corporations (MOCs) and differentiate between distinct manifestations of hybridity. Using a case study research design, three MOCs are selected as units of analysis, and 30 semi-structured interviews are conducted to explain why and how organisations emerge as hybrid organisations through the adoption of multiple institutional prescriptions that compete with their existing logic. The findings of the study reveal a practical approach to managing complexity where organisations tend to form different hybrids rather than simply accepting or rejecting institutional pressures. The study offers insights into the outcomes within organisational milieus as they navigate and assimilate these competing pressures, underscoring that the resultant ramifications may not invariably align with initial expectations

FinTech adoption in achieving ecologically sustainable mineral management in Asian OBOR countries – A cross-section and time autoregressive robust analysis

The balance between economic activity, economic growth, and ecosystem is a need of the time. Belt and Road Initiative countries working on the One Belt and One Road project (OBOR), constituting 130 countries, are participating with China to achieve growth via trade. These countries, where trade and commerce have influence , are rich in natural minerals as well as natural habitat and biodiversity. Along with infrastructural efforts, the world is also experiencing a growth in technology 4.0, specifically its gains in terms of financial innovation. This study has explored 27 countries from the Asian OBOR group and assessed the potential moderating role of FinTech on resource extraction sustainability. The results from multi-dimensional, long-term, and robust estimates showed that resource rents harm environmental performance and FinTech positively moderates this relationship. This study is instrumental for the policymakers in quantifying the hampering spillover/spatial effects and diminishing time horizon policy effectiveness

Integrating knowledge management and orientation dynamics for organization transition from eco-innovation to circular economy

Purpose – This study focuses on establishing relations with some important but underestimated elements of knowledge dynamics and firm orientations to characterize organizational circular economy activities through eco-innovation (EIN). The advent of the circular economy (CE) in this post-pandemic era has brought unpredictable sustainable challenges for the manufacturing industries. This research paper aims to bring more clarity to the extant literature on the relationship between environmental innovation (EI) and CE.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, a systematic literature review methodology was used to research the determinants of EI in the knowledge environment that drives the implementation of a CE.Findings – This paper proposes a framework that articulates organizational learning and orientation dynamics and offers a new set of internal knowledge resources for a corporate CE. It is found that change toward CE requires connection with EI. However, successful CE growth largely depends on leveraging knowledge resources and orientation dynamics (stakeholder orientation, sustainability orientation, organization learning orientation and entrepreneurial orientation). CE techniques are still in their early phases of adoption and their implementation is still in its development. Circular knowledge economy (CKE) has the potential to be a useful alternative to achieving thriving CE to achieve sustainability in local and global businesses operations.Practical implications – This study helps companies to understand the organizational learning and different orientation dynamics for achieving CE principles. The research findings imply that EI is critical in establishing a sustainable transition toward CE through organizational learning and orientation dynamics and has garnered significant attention from academics, public policymakers and practitioners. The proposed framework can guide managers to develop sustainable policies related to the CE. This research recognizes that firm-level CKE is important in shaping how knowledge resources relate to CE within transition management literature.Originality/value – This paper abridges the knowledge gap in identifying key drivers and presents the current eminence, challenges and prognostications of sustainable EI parameters in the changingclimate of CE. This study builds a framework that combines insights from different viewpoints and disciplines and extends one’s understanding of the relationship between EI and CE. From a theoretical perspective, this study explains the knowledge management complexity links between EI and CE. It builds a theoretical bridge between EI and CE to illustrate how firms transition toward CE following the recommendations. Thus, researchers should continue to support their research with appropriate theories that have the potential to explain EI and CE relationship phenomena, with a particular emphasis on some promising but underutilized theories such as organizational learning, dynamic capabilities and stakeholder theorie