Regulatory Governance and Sustainable Logistics Performance in India: The Conditional Role of Operational Capabilities

ABSTRACT Logistics performance is critical to economic competitiveness and resilient supply networks, particularly in emerging economies facing technological, infrastructural, workforce, environmental, and institutional constraints. However, limited attention has been given to how regulatory governance conditions the effects of these operational factors on logistics performance. This study examines the determinants of sustainable logistics performance in India's transportation sector, focusing on the moderating role of government policies and regulatory compliance. Drawing on Institutional Theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, and Innovation Diffusion Theory, an integrated framework links transportation infrastructure, technology adoption and automation, system integration, supply chain (SC) coordination, environmental factors, and driver shortage and turnover to logistics performance. The proposed relationships are examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling with moderation analysis. The findings indicate that transportation infrastructure, technology adoption and automation, system integration, SC coordination, and environmental factors are positively associated with logistics performance, whereas driver shortage and turnover are negatively associated. Government policies and regulatory compliance moderates two relationships: They mitigate the negative association between driver shortage and logistics performance but attenuate the positive association between SC coordination and performance. The findings highlight the need for regulatory frameworks that address workforce constraints without limiting coordination and operational flexibility. The study contributes to sustainable logistics research by demonstrating that regulatory governance can condition, rather than uniformly determine, the performance effects of operational capabilities.