TY - JOUR
T1 - Renewable energy deployment in the MENA region
T2 - Does innovation matter?
AU - Awijen, Haithem
AU - Belaïd, Fateh
AU - Ben-Zaied, Younes
AU - Hussain, Nazim
AU - Lahouel, Béchir Ben
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - This paper contributes to the renewable energy literature from two perspectives. First, we investigate the factors driving renewable energy deployment in the MENA countries using economic, financial, and political variables including financial development, government effectiveness and political stability. This investigation is empirically carried out by the Panel Smooth Transition Model (PSTR) (Gonzales et al., 2017) that explicitly explores the threshold effect within the determinants of renewable energy production. Second, we introduce innovation as a new determinant of renewable energy deployment to account for the mediating role of technological innovation in the achievement of SDGs and especially the SDG7. Using two proxies of innovation (i.e. ICT and percentage of internet users), we show that higher innovation performance is likely to increase the impact of governance quality on renewable energy deployment. Therefore, governance quality, innovation, political stability, and financial development are the main drivers of renewable energy deployment. The paper calls for sustainable policy options that increase innovation performance and governance quality to increase the production of renewable energy.
AB - This paper contributes to the renewable energy literature from two perspectives. First, we investigate the factors driving renewable energy deployment in the MENA countries using economic, financial, and political variables including financial development, government effectiveness and political stability. This investigation is empirically carried out by the Panel Smooth Transition Model (PSTR) (Gonzales et al., 2017) that explicitly explores the threshold effect within the determinants of renewable energy production. Second, we introduce innovation as a new determinant of renewable energy deployment to account for the mediating role of technological innovation in the achievement of SDGs and especially the SDG7. Using two proxies of innovation (i.e. ICT and percentage of internet users), we show that higher innovation performance is likely to increase the impact of governance quality on renewable energy deployment. Therefore, governance quality, innovation, political stability, and financial development are the main drivers of renewable energy deployment. The paper calls for sustainable policy options that increase innovation performance and governance quality to increase the production of renewable energy.
U2 - 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121633
DO - 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121633
M3 - Article
SN - 0040-1625
VL - 179
JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
JF - Technological Forecasting and Social Change
M1 - 121633
ER -