Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
alzahra university
Abstract
Energy is always a widely used input in the production sector and used in the distribution and consumption of many goods and services, which should be used optimally. One of the indicators showing the optimal use of energy input is the energy intensity index. Obviously, the lower the energy intensity, it means that less energy has been used for each unit of production of goods and services. Several factors can be mentioned that affect energy intensity, of which innovation is one of the key ones. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to investigate the influence of several factors on energy intensity in selected countries of the MENA region during the period of 2010-2020, with an emphasis on innovation and its two sub-indices (Information and communication technology and Access to finance). To achieve the goal of the research, the panel data model (panel data) for 13 selected MENA countries and the GMM estimation method have been used. The results show that the influence of control variables including "government final consumption expenditure", "energy price" and "trade openness" on energy intensity is negative and significant. The estimation findings of the first model indicate a negative and significant effect of the overall innovation index on energy intensity, and the estimation results of the second and third models also indicate a negative and significant effect of the innovation sub-indices (information and communication technology and financial access) on the energy intensity of the selected countries in the period. is under investigation.
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