Government effectiveness on environmental degradation in developing countries

Abstract The alarming rate of environmental degradation worldwide has prompted a renewed focus on government effectiveness as an essential factor affecting environmental quality. Few studies have demonstrated the role of government effectiveness in environmental degradation under the influence of economic development. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the effect of government effectiveness and how it impacts environmental degradation using panel data from 61 regions from 2007 to 2021 and the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The results show that improving government efficiency will aggravate environmental degradation, manifested in household head education, household electricity access, and government education expenditure indicators. Therefore, the government should adopt and implement strict environmental laws and regulations, regulate emission standards, promote cleaner and more efficient technologies, and encourage low-carbon life to reduce the impact of production and consumption on the environment. Meanwhile, reduce fossil fuel power generation, invest in environmental technology innovation, and increase the proportion of renewable energy power generation.