Impact of greenhouse gas emission, renewable energy, and economic growth on health expenditure in Southeast Asia: A comparative analysis of econometric models

Purpose — The study explores the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and economic growth on health expenditures across Southeast Asia while comparing the performance of different econometric models for accuracy in analysis.Method — To analyze the relationships among variables, the study employs three econometric models, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model, the co-integration Model, and the Quantile Regression Model, using annual data from 2000 to 2020.Findings — The results reveal that greenhouse gas emissions and GDP significantly influence health expenditure in all three models. However, the significance of renewable energy consumption varies, with only the quantile regression model indicating a significant relationship with health expenditure. Model comparison based on Mean Squared Error (MSE) suggests that the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model provides the most accurate predictions. Also, it found that there is a short-run and long-run causal effect of GHG and GDP on health expenditure, as well as health spending on GDP.Implication — This study helps to understand how economic growth, environmental factors, and healthcare spending interact to develop sustainable policies to address health and environmental problems in Southeast Asia.Originality — This research contributes to the body of knowledge examining the impact of economic and environmental factors on health expenditures in Southeast Asia through a comparative analysis of different econometric models.