DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE LOGIC OF THE GREEN ECONOMY: THE UAE'S EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE POST-OIL GROWTH MODEL

This article examines how the United Arab Emirates leverages digital transformation within the logic of the green economy to build a sustainable post-oil growth model. Conceptually, it treats the green economy as an institutional–technological development paradigm in which growth is achieved through resource efficiency, risk reduction, and credible governance incentives, and argues that digitalization functions as an enabling layer that strengthens measurement, optimization, and enforcement capacity. Methodologically, the study applies qualitative institutional economic analysis to official statistical materials and analytical reports, using structural, comparative, and trend-based interpretation to trace the diffusion of digitalization across sectors and its sustainability implications. The findings indicate that UAE strategies and initiatives in artificial intelligence, smart government, and smart-city development support non-oil diversification while enhancing monitoring, transparency, and administrative efficiency, thereby improving the predictability of green investment and the operationalization of sustainability targets. At the same time, persistent constraints—including limited domestic R&D depth, dependence on imported knowledge, skills mismatches, and risks related to data governance, cybersecurity, energy demand of digital infrastructure, and e-waste—may weaken the long-run sustainability dividend of digital modernization. The article concludes that digital transformation can be an effective instrument for green-economy objectives when aligned with institutional quality, capability building, and robust data and regulatory frameworks.