RESUMEN
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.
RESUMEN
Energy diversification is a vital contribution to sustainable development. Many countries are accelerating the diversification of their energy mix to meet the challenges of the energy transition. This study aims to model and investigate the effects of energy diversification on the ecological footprint of production in Côte d'Ivoire. The study uses an autoregressive distributed lag model with structural breaks and covers the period 1971-2015. Energy diversification is measured by an "Energy Mix Concentration Index," a concentration indicator based on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. The results suggest that, in the short term, energy diversification reduces the ecological footprint of production in Côte d'Ivoire, and is conducive for environmental protection. In the long term, energy diversification also has a reducing effect on the ecological footprint of production up to a certain threshold where energy concentration increases the ecological footprint. The study finds that there is an optimal level of energy diversification that is ideal for achieving a lower impact of energy diversification activities and exploitation of energy production sources on the environment in Côte d'Ivoire. The commissioning of the Azito power plant in 1999, which produces electricity using natural gas, has also had a major impact, not only on the country's energy mix since then, but also on its ecological footprint of production.