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This study investigates the impact of energy consumption, military spending and information and communication technology (ICT) on CO2 emissions for the Group of Twenty (G20) countries using panel data covering the period from 1980 to 2019. This study employs cross-sectional dependence tests, unit root tests, and the Westerlund co-integration tests to explore the reliable, consistent, and unbiased long-run associations between the variables. Moreover, it uses the panel ARDL approach and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation to confirm the robustness of the findings, as well as addresses the endogeneity issue. This study reveals the significant and positive impact of military spending, energy consumption and ICT on CO2 emissions. The results imply that higher military expenditure, energy consumption, and technological advancement in ICT cause greater CO2 emissions, which affect the environmental sustainability. The findings have several implications for the governments of G20 countries, regulatory bodies and international organizations, and advises the policymakers to take appropriate action to control the CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of intellectual capital (IC) and its components (human capital, structural capital, and capital employed) on microfinance institutions' (MFIs) financial and social efficiency. It also determines the moderating impact of external governance on the relationship between IC and MFIs' financial and social efficiency. It employs the Truncated regression model and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), while the Tobit model and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) were utilized to check the robustness of the estimations. The study uses panel data of 661 MFIs from 86 countries covering 2010–2018 period. The study shows that MFIs are financially efficient rather than socially efficient, albeit MFIs that have high IC can be more financially efficient. Besides, good external governance positively moderates the impact of IC on financial efficiency. The three components of IC have significant effect on MFIs' financial efficiency, albeit external governance has a significant moderating role on the relationship between value of capital employed and financial efficiency only. As for the social outreach efficiency, this study indicates that IC has a significant positive impact on social outreach efficiency, while external governance has no significant moderating effect on the nexus between IC and MFIs' social outreach efficiency. The empirical outcomes of this study have useful implications for MFIs' decision-makers and regulators regarding the need to consider intellectual capital in their quest to enhance the MFIs' efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Impact of militarization, energy consumption, and ICT on CO2 emissions in G20 countries" published in the journal "Environment, Development & Sustainability." The correction addresses an error in the author's name, which was originally published in an incorrect format. The correct format of the author's name is Md. Harun Ur Rashid. The original article has been corrected accordingly. The publisher, Springer Nature, maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The article was authored by Myne Uddin, Md. Harun Ur Rashid, Shamsuddin Ahamad, and Kizito Uyi Ehigiamusoe. [Extracted from the article]

This paper investigates the non-linear impacts of the agricultural, industrial, financial, and service sectors on environmental pollution in Malaysia during the 1980–2018 period. It employs the extended STIRPAT model and two indicators of environmental pollution (carbon dioxide emissions and ecological footprints). It uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique to estimate the parameters. Evidence from the study indicate that the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors have inverted U-shaped non-linear impacts on carbon dioxide emissions and ecological footprints, while the financial sector has a U-shaped non-linear relationship with carbon dioxide emissions and ecological footprint. These empirical outcomes are robust to diagnostic tests, structural breaks, and alternative estimation technique and proxies. The economic implication of this paper is that, at the early stage of sectoral growth, the pollution intensity of sectoral output increases, but after a certain turning point, a further increase in sectoral output will reduce environmental pollution. Precisely, environmental pollution will reduce if the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors exceed threshold levels of 11%, 44%, and 49% of GDP, respectively, while environmental pollution will be aggravated if financial sector exceeds a threshold level of 94%. Therefore, efforts to mitigate environmental pollution in Malaysia should integrate sectoral growth to attain sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the moderating effect of inflation on the finance–growth nexus in the West African region during 1980–2014. We find that the linear financial development has a positive impact on economic growth, while the interaction term between financial development and the inflation rate has a negative impact on growth. The marginal effect of financial development evaluated at the minimum level of inflation rate is positive, while that evaluated at the maximum level is negative, suggesting that the impact of finance on growth varies with the level of inflation. The inflation threshold level is found at 5.62%. When inflation rises above this level, the total effect of finance on growth turns negative. We also find that the marginal effects of financial development computed at the maximum level of inflation are negative in the high-inflationary countries but positive in the low-inflationary countries. The implication of these findings is that, in the West African region, an increase in financial development and a decrease in inflation appear to have greater long-run economic benefits than a simultaneous increase in both variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of energy consumption, economic growth, and financial development on carbon emissions in a panel of 122 countries. We employ both first-generation and second-generation cointegration and estimation procedures in order to address diverse economic and econometric issues such as heterogeneity, endogeneity, and cross-sectional dependence. We find a cointegration relationship between the variables. Energy consumption, economic growth, and financial development have detrimental effects on carbon emissions in the full sample. When the sample is split into different income groups, we reveal that economic growth and financial development mitigate carbon emissions in high-income group but have the opposite effects in low-income and middle-income groups. The implication of the findings is that energy consumption increases carbon emissions. While high levels of income and financial development decrease carbon emissions, low levels of income and financial development intensify it. Based on the findings, the paper makes some policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]