Thresholds to sustainability: Globalization's impact on the institutional quality-ecological footprint nexus in Africa.

This study explores how globalization influences the relationship between institutional quality and the ecological footprint in Africa. Utilizing dynamic panel threshold models with data from 49 African countries (2002-2022), we investigate how different types of globalization-economic, social, cultural, and political-affect this relationship. Our findings reveal that the impact of institutional quality on the ecological footprint varies significantly depending on globalization thresholds. Specifically, below certain thresholds, improved institutional quality increases the ecological footprint, whereas above these thresholds, it tends to reduce it. For economic globalization, the threshold is 53.510; for social globalization, 48.332; for cultural globalization, 28.446; and for political globalization, 69.663. These results highlight the need for targeted environmental policies that consider the specific effects of each globalization dimension to effectively manage Africa's ecological footprint. The study contributes to the literature by addressing the complex link between institutional quality and globalization and provides practical insights for policymakers to design more effective sustainability strategies in the African context.