Impacts of natural resources and technological innovation on SDG achievement of OECD countries: How does democracy and globalization behave?

Abstract

This research evaluates the roles of natural resources and technological innovation on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement in the organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries. The study considers the data period from 1990 to 2020 and employs robust econometric techniques. The study uses globalization and participatory democracy as control variables. Several models interacting natural resources with technological innovation, globalization and democracy are also introduced to see if they moderate the association between natural resources and sustainable development index (SDI). The study outcomes reveal that natural resources and technological innovation both positively and significantly affect SDI of these nations. Moreover, participatory democracy and globalization have also been found to support the SDI. The interaction between natural resources and democracy shows a negative impact, while the interaction between natural resources and globalization shows a positive impact on SDI. Based on these results, several policy directions are suggested to advance the SDGs in OECD nations.