What Role Do Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Play in Shaping the Impact on Environmental Sustainability in Newly Industrialized Countries (NIC)?: New Evidence from Wavelet Quantile Regression

This study investigates the roles of foreign direct investment (FDI) and technological innovation in influencing environmental sustainability across ten newly industrialized countries (NICs) over the period from 1990 to 2021. Using the wavelet quantile regression (WQR) approach, the analysis captures both the dynamic and heterogeneous relationships between FDI, technology, renewable energy, economic growth, financial development, and environmental outcomes across different quantiles and time scales. The results show that although economic expansion and foreign direct investment often help to lower CO2 emissions, their impact varies across countries and time horizons. Technological innovation has a dual impact—contributing to emission reductions in the short term while potentially leading to increased environmental degradation over the long term. These results underscore the importance of aligning FDI inflows and technological advancement with environmental policies to ensure sustainable growth in NICs. This study makes significant empirical and policy contributions to the ongoing discourse on reconciling economic development with ecological preservation in emerging markets.