Decoding the Nexus: Energy poverty, digital economy, and efficient resource management

In the era of escalating environmental challenges, such as climate change and resource depletion, efficient resource management is essential for fostering sustainable economic and ecological development. For newly industrialised economies (NICs), it is imperative to identify the factors influencing efficient resource management. Therefore, this aims to evaluate the effect of energy poverty, digital economy, and eco-innovation on efficient resource management (ERM) for NIC countries from 2000 to 2022, addressing a critical gap in the ERM literature. By confirming cross-sectional dependence, slope homogeneity, and the first order of integration, the study identifies cointegration among these variables. The study employed the “Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR)” approach to explore the distributional heterogeneity of established correlations across different quantiles of efficient resource management. The MMQR results highlight that energy poverty, industrial efficiency, digital economy, and eco-innovation enhance ERM in newly industrialised countries. In contrast, the economic growth abates the ERM. The study's findings are crucial for formulating effective policies to reduce energy poverty and promote efficient resource management to retain sustainable development and natural resource consumption. • Nexus of Energy poverty, digital economy, eco-innovation, and efficient resource management. • Annual data of newly industrialised countries was used from 2000 to 2022. • The study employed the “Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR)” approach. • Energy poverty has a weak positive impact on energy resource management in NICs. • Innovative reforms and policies can help to achieve sustainable development goals and energy availability.