Politická ekonomie, 2026 (vol. 74), issue 1

Articles

Impact of Climate Change, Human Development and Internet Use on Poverty: Evidence from Panel Quantile Regression

Halim Tatli

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):1-32 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1477

This paper examines the effects of climate change, human development, internet use and income inequality on poverty using 50 high-, middle and low-income countries between 2004 and 2020. After applying the panel unit root tests, the parameters are estimated using the quantile regression method. The results reveal that climate change has a statistically significant and positive effect on poverty in the selected 50 countries. Also, the impacts of the human development index and internet use are significant and negative. Our findings reveal that income inequality has a positive effect on poverty. The one-way and two-way models, along with the fixed-effect...

Importance of Government Social Expenditures for Income Inequality in EU Countries

Karina Zhemelko, Nikola Šubová

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):33-65 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1481

The issue of growing income inequality has become a central focus in global economic policy debate. This paper examines the impact of government social spending on income inequality in the 27 member states of the European Union between 2010 and 2020, utilizing regression analysis of panel data. The findings indicate that the level of government social spending reflects the varying fiscal policies on social protection across EU countries, with the largest share allocated to old age expenditures. However, the analysis reveals that old-age government expenditures do not have a statistically significant impact on income inequality. In contrast, increased...

How Do Green Technologies, Green Energy Consumption and Digitalization Influence Environmental Sustainability in E7 Economies? A Quantile-Based Analysis

Victoria Olushola Olanrewaju, Dervis Kirikkaleli

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):66-91 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1480

Governments worldwide are grappling with the challenges of climate change. Following COP28 - the Dubai consensus - it has become even clearer that achieving CO₂ emission reduction targets is crucial to prevent the global temperature from rising above 1. 5 °C. In this context, our study assesses these ambitious climate goals through the lens of green energy and technology adoption within the E7 countries. Using quantile regression and panel ordinary least squares (POLS) techniques on data spanning from 1991 to 2021, we provide insights into the vital role of digitalization and energy choices in reducing CO₂ emissions and advancing...

Effects of Green Quality of Energy Mix and Financial Development on Load Capacity Factor in China: A Novel Rolling Window Kernel-based Regularized Least Square Approach

Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, Oktay Özkan, Babatunde Sunday Eweade

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):92-117 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1483

Amidst ongoing global worries over climate change and its ecological ramifications amidst rapid economic growth, the United Nations has set forth a comprehensive agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to achieve them by 2030. These goals are tailored to foster sustainable socio-economic progress while enhancing the quality of the global environment. Therefore, this study explores the connections between load capacity factor, green quality of energy mix, financial development, economic growth and natural resources in alignment with SDGs 7, 11, 13 and 12, focusing on China from 1981 to 2021. The study introduces the rolling...

Examining the Impact of Board Gender Diversity on Firm Value: Insights from the Pre-COVID-19 Era

Bernard Mnzava

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):118-141 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1497

This study explores the impact of female board representation on firm value prior to the COVID-19 pandemic using a sample of sub-Saharan African quoted companies. Utilizing a robust dataset derived from annual reports of non-financial firms spanning 11 years, the study employs both pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and the system generalized method of moments (GMM) to assess this relationship. In addition, the study conducts supplementary regression analyses with different measures of board gender diversity to validate its findings. The findings reveal a positive and statistically significant correlation between the presence of female...

Harmonizing Laws and Politics: Combatting Environmental Pollution for Sustainable Development

Weiping Han, Romanus Osabohien, Armand Fréjuis Akpa, Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel Karakara, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Faryan

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):142-169 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1478

This study explores the interplay among political factors, environmental pollution and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Drawing on an evaluation of the literature and empirical data, the study highlights the effect of political instability, corruption and weak governance on environmental degradation and sustainable development. The study applies the pooled ordinary least squares and the fixed effects; besides, to account for possible problems of endogeneity, the generalised method of moments (GMM) is utilized. The results show that environmental pollution worsens sustainable development, while political factors improve sustainable...

Regional Disparities in Drivers and Peaking Pathways of CO₂ Emissions: Insights from Scenario Planning

Yang Yu, Yaping Gong, DooHwan Won, Atif Jahanger

Politická ekonomie 2026, 74(1):170-197 | DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1484

Faced with domestic and international responsibilities, China urgently needs to coordinate various regions to achieve carbon peak in an orderly manner. As core regions driving economic expansion and primary hubs of energy consumption, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) regions are substantial contributors to carbon emissions in China. To address regional disparities in carbon emission management, this study estimates CO₂ emissions from 1990 to 2021, employing the STIRPAT model to analyse influencing factors. The findings reveal that the key factor affecting CO₂ emissions in both regions is population....