Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(2)  | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1489

Democracies Prioritize Sustainability as Energy Use Declines

Aribah Aslam ORCID..., Ghulam Ghouse, Ishaq Bhatti ORCID...
Aribah Aslam (corresponding author), Department of Economics, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Ghulam Ghouse, Department of Economics, Beaconhouse National University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Ishaq Bhatti, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia & UBD SBE, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam

We develop a theoretical framework to characterize the relationship between democracy and energy use on a global scale. We utilize the generalized method of moments (GMM) model to control for endogeneity on a balanced, global panel dataset encompassing 61 countries across six geographic regions. Contrary to conventional understanding that democracies may have a positive association with energy use, our findings reveal that democracy has a significant negative association with energy use. We conclude that democracies prioritize sustainability globally as energy use declines. These novel results are justified because democracies can often foster a culture of environmental awareness through active civil societies and open public discourse. This can lead to public pressure on governments to enact stricter environmental regulations and prioritize energy conservation. Our results highlight previously under-explored connections between democracy, social capital and energy consumption, paving the way for future research and policy development.

Keywords: Population, natural environment, democracy level, social capital, energy use
JEL classification: C33, O13, P16, Q43

Received: April 29, 2024; Revised: December 25, 2024; Accepted: January 14, 2025; Prepublished online: November 7, 2025; Published: April 28, 2026  Show citation

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Aslam, A., Ghouse, G., & Bhatti, I. (2026). Democracies Prioritize Sustainability as Energy Use Declines. Politická ekonomie, 74(2), 305-328. doi: 10.18267/j.polek.1489
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