The effect of economic complexity, fertility rate, and information and communication technology on ecological footprint in the emerging economies: a two-step stirpat model and panel quantile regression

Abstract

The importance of environmental performance in today’s world is not hidden from anyone. On the other hand, the remarkable growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has affected various aspects of life, including the environment. The effect of economic complexity, fertility rate, and ICT on the ecological footprint of emerging countries using the STIRPAT model and quantile panel regression from 2000 to 2016 were examined. The quantiles of 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th have been used to consider the explanatory variables’ effects on the ecological footprint. The results show that economic complexity, for all quantile levels except the 10th quantile, has a negative and statistically significant effect on the ecological footprint. This effect is greater in 75th and 90th quantiles. The fertility rate has a positive and statistically significant impact on the ecological footprint in all quantiles. This effect is higher in the middle quantile. ICT in all quantiles has a statistically significant negative effect on the ecological footprint. ICT has a lower effect on ecological footprint, among other variables. The panel fixed effect model results show that ICT has no significant effect on the ecological footprint. In contrast, economic complexity and fertility rate have significant positive and negative effects on environmental footprint. Are proposed a set of policy measures to mitigate/reduce the ecological footprint.