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Exploring the potential role of higher education and ICT in China on green growth

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Abstract

The upsurge in higher education is considered a key determinant for enhancing green growth. Moreover, ICT development is also the main catalyst of green growth. This research explores the role of higher education and ICT on green growth for China from 1995 to 2020. The study employs auto-regressive distributive lag (ARDL) approach for short-run and long-run estimates of green growth. The effect of higher education and ICT on green growth is significantly positive in the long run and short run. The outcomes of the empirical models reveal that financial inclusion is positively associated with green growth in both long run and short run. Moreover, renewable energy consumption is found to have a positive impact on green growth. The findings thus point to the need for policies that promote human capital and ICT infrastructure as a way of accelerating green growth.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. UNESCAP 2011, “Green Growth Approach: Experiences in mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” Published by United Nation ESCAP. http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/CDR2-INF6.pdf.

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Contributions

This idea was given by Xiaoyan Li. Xiaoyan Li and Sana Ullah analyzed the data and wrote the complete paper, while, Parvez Ahmed Shaikh read and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Xiaoyan Li or Sana Ullah.

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Li, X., Shaikh, P.A. & Ullah, S. Exploring the potential role of higher education and ICT in China on green growth. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 64560–64567 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20292-0

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