Sustainable economic goals based on determinants of resource productivity in the Netherlands and Hungary
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DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ee.16(1).2025.09
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Article InfoVolume 16 2025, Issue #1, pp. 114-128
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Resource productivity has become an important indicator of sustainable economic growth in a situation when natural resources are becoming scarce and environmental stress is growing. This paper examines the drivers of resource productivity in the case of the Netherlands and Hungary, two countries featuring diversified economies and contexts. This paper evaluates the contribution of waste management, renewable energy sources, human capital, investment, and innovation to sustainability by adopting a combined methods approach. Data from Eurostat and ODYSSEE databases, covering the period from 2011 to 2021, were analyzed using time series comparison and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that factors such as employment rate, gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), waste recycling, and renewable energy significantly influence resource productivity. The results indicated absolute decoupling for the Netherlands, represented by a 40% increase in productivity with an 11% reduction in materials. In comparison, Hungary recorded relative decoupling with GDP and material consumption increasing by about 49% and 37%, respectively. These findings underpin the importance of tailored policies for the enhancement of resource efficiency and sustainable development.
- Keywords
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JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)Q56, Q53, O44, C33
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References40
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Tables6
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Figures4
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- Figure 1. Q-Q plot of normality
- Figure 2. SEM of resource productivity
- Figure 3. Employment rate in the Netherlands and in Hungary from 2011 to 2021
- Figure 4. Decoupling in examined countries
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- Table 1. Output of normality test
- Table 2. Cook’s distance statistics for influential observations detection
- Table 3. Model fit test results
- Table 4. Growth of resource productivity and its elements (2011–2022)
- Table A1. Descriptive statistics of the sample with normality test and extreme outliers test
- Table A2. Direct, indirect, and total effects of SEM
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