How Green Policy and Investment Drive Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Development in Iraq

Developing sustainable transport infrastructure is a critical challenge in emerging economies. This study examines how green transport policy effectiveness and investment in green transport infrastructure contribute to sustainable transport infrastructure development in Iraq through environmentally sustainable practices and technological advancements in transport. Data were collected from 272 transport managers, engineers, and sector experts and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Statistical tests of reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, model fit, predictive relevance, and hypothesis testing were applied. Findings indicate that green transport policy effectiveness and investment significantly enhance environmentally sustainable practices, which subsequently promote technological advancement in transport. Both environmentally sustainable practices and technological advancements were found to positively influence sustainable transport infrastructure development. The results further support significant sequential mediation effects, demonstrating that environmentally sustainable practices and technological advancements jointly transmit the effects of policy effectiveness and investment on sustainable infrastructure outcomes. In addition, digital infrastructure readiness strengthens the relationship between technological advancement and sustainable transportation infrastructure development. This study contributes to the sustainable transportation literature by validating a comprehensive mediated–moderated framework in an emerging economy and providing practical guidance for aligning policy initiatives, investment decisions, and technological innovation to achieve sustainable transport development