The main objective of this paper is to assess the efficiency of the European Union's public sector from a quality of governance approach, employing a two-step methodology. In the first stage, EU states' efficiency scores are determined using Data Envelopment Analysis. Once quantifying public efficiency, the second step of the methodology examines the determinants of efficiency using a quantile regression estimation technique, with an emphasis on demographic features, corruption, economic freedom, and governmental digitalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral EU initiatives focused on renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure and green transport require a sustainable supply of a wide range of raw materials. The increase in the population and, implicitly, the increasing demand for necessary resources led to accelerated degradation of the environment, a pressing issue which the contemporary world faces. The mining activities produced huge amounts of waste, which may now become a potential secondary raw materials source that offer the potential to extract critical mineral elements of current interest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
June 2022
The purpose of this research paper is to investigate and identify the factors which can support the development of one characteristic of smart cities, namely, the smart environment. More specifically, the main goal is to measure the extent to which air pollution may be reduced, taking as determinants several circular economy, fiscal, and environmental factors. The Ordinary Least Squares, the Fixed Effects, and Random Effects regression models using balanced panel data were employed, over the 2011-2019 period, for 28 European states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper aims to validate the EKC hypothesis for BRICS countries, in the presence of natural resources, renewable energy, and globalization factors. FMOLS, DOLS, Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), and heterogeneous panel causality tests have been applied on the BRICS panel from 1990 to 2014. According to FMOLS and DOLS techniques, the EKC hypothesis does exist in BRICS countries in the presence of alternative energy resources and globalization, whereas quantile level analysis does not support globalization as a significant factor for environmental degradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter the Paris Climate Conference (COP21), many countries start progressing towards carbon neutrality targets. In doing so, green technology innovations (GTIs) and clean energy are the essential factors that can help to achieve the carbon neutrality goal. Therefore, this paper examines the linkages between green technology innovation and renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions based on the STIRPAT model in Turkey during the time of 1990-2018.
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