Analyzing the Environmental Impact of Financial Decentralization in Pakistan

Abstract

This study adds a new dimension to the body of research by analyzing the impact of fiscal decentralization (FD) on ecological footprints (EF) in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the author examined how financing dependency (FD) affects economic efficiency (EE) from 1990 to 2022, considering time series data with the variables of renewable energy consumption (REC), nonrenewable energy consumption (NREC), GDP and trade openness (TOP). Based on the obtained data, the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is chosen. To promote environmental sustainability, the regression analysis reveals that NREC, GDP, and TOP improve EF in Pakistan, while FD and REC reduce EF. This study suggests that Pakistan should optimize the integration of strategies that improve ecological quality by providing the lower level of government with access to environmentally aware technological advancements. These findings could be considered as a policy recommendation.