The Moroccan Evidence through an ARDL Approach to the Education, Renewable Energy Consumption, and Economic Growth Nexus

Abstract

Education is a key component of sustainable development since it influences economic growth, the energy transition, and environmental behaviors. In the Moroccan context, the increase in the rate of solarization reflects public initiatives around education, with potential benefits for productivity and technological innovation. The current study aims to determine Morocco’s impact on CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption (REC), education, general government consumption spending (GGCS), and economic growth (EG). This study used an autoregressive methodology for stationarity and distributed degradation in conjunction with the least squares ordinary approach to evaluate the short- and long-term correlations between the model’s variables. For the study, World Development Indicators (WDI) annual data for the years 1993 through 2020 has been collected. The bound test was employed to assess long-term relationships, while the White test was used to check for heteroscedasticity in model residuals. The empirical research demonstrated numerous relationships between the independent and dependent variables. The actual data showed that although all independent variables were not stationary in the first difference, they became stationary in the second difference, while the dependent variable was stationary in the first difference. The model simulation using the bound test confirmed a long-term relationship between the independent and dependent variables. However, the long- and short-term relationships between EG and education were disproved. The model residuals exhibited no signs of heteroscedasticity. The findings highlight the complex interplay between education, CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption, government spending, and economic growth in Morocco. Policymakers should consider these relationships when designing strategies for sustainable development, particularly in balancing economic expansion with environmental sustainability and education development.