Financial resources utilization efficiency in sports infrastructure development, determinant of total factor productivity growth and regional production technology heterogeneity in China.

Despite China's heavy investment in sports infrastructure development in the last decades, the financial resources utilization efficiency (FRUE), regional technological gap (TGR), and total factor productivity change (TFPC) in sports infrastructure development are undiscovered and worth investigating. To this end, this study employed DEA-SBM, Meta-frontier analysis, and Malmquist productivity index on the data set of 31 Chinese provinces and 3 regions for the years 2014-2021 to gauge the FRUE, TGR, and TFPC in sports infrastructure development. The results indicate that the average FRUE is 0.4859, with a growth potential of 51.41% in financial resource utilization efficiency for sports infrastructure development. Further Eastern region is more efficient as compared to the Central and western regions. Beijing, Shanghai, Tibet, Hainan, and Guangdong are top performers in FRUE. Further, the value of TGR in the East is 0.9787 which is higher than in Central (0.4977), and Western (0.5821) regions. It indicates that the eastern region contains superior production technology in the development of the sports infrastructure in China. Moreover, the average TFPC value is 1.035 witnessed a 3.5% growth, primarily determined by technological change (TC). As TC = 1.0273 is higher than efficiency change EC = 0.997. The eastern region has a higher average TFPC of 1.048, indicating higher total factor productivity growth in sports infrastructure development. Beijing, Liaoning, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Zhejiang are the top performers in the TFP growth over the study period. Finally, the Kruskal-Wallis test proved the statistically significant difference in three regions of China for FRUE, TGR, and TFPC in sports infrastructure development.

Evaluating the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of China's provincial higher education systems: A comprehensive analytical framework.

China's higher education system is one of the largest and most complex in the world, with a vast number of higher education institutions scattered across different provinces. Evaluating the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of these institutions is significant for understanding their performance and identifying areas for improvement. In this context, this study employs three different approaches, DEA super-SBM, Malmquist Productivity Index, and Meta-Frontier Analysis, to evaluate the efficiency, productivity change, and technology gaps of China's provincial higher education systems. The study results revealed that the average higher education efficiency in China is 1.0015 for the study period of 2010-2021. A rapid and continuous increase was witnessed in higher education efficiency in China from 2014 to 2020. Meta-frontier and Group-frontier, higher education efficiency scores of low-level literate provinces are greater than middle and high-level literate provinces. However, the TGR of higher and middle-level literate provinces is greater than low-level literate provinces, indicating a superior technological level. The average MI score is 1.0034, indicating growth in productivity change. Efficiency change is the main determinant in higher education productivity growth instead of technological growth. The Middle and Low-level literate provinces witnessed growth in higher education productivity, while high-level literate provinces observed a decline in productivity change. The Kruskal-Wallis test provides evidence that a significant statistical difference exists among the three groups of education levels for the average scores of MI, EC, TC, and TGR.

Evaluation of educational resource utilization efficiency, regional technological heterogeneity, and total factor productivity change in 35 European countries.

Educational resource utilization efficiency (ERUE) and productivity growth are considered current global challenges that the modern world faces. This study evaluates the educational resource utilization efficiency, dynamic productivity change, and regional discrepancies in technologies involved in educational resource utilization in 35 European countries and four regions. DEA Super SBM, Meta frontier analysis, and Malmquist productivity index are employed to gauge the ERUE, technology gap ratio (TGR), and total factor education resources productivity change. A set of inputs and outputs is used from 35 European countries for the study period of 1998-2021. Results revealed that the average ERUE in European countries is 0.6312, Which indicates a 36.88% improvement potential in educational resource utilization. Southern Europe continuously exhibits superior average ERUE scores (0.6871) compared to other regions, indicating a higher efficiency in using educational resources. Luxembourg (1.0813), Czechia (0.9356), and Slovenia (0.8984) are found to be the top three performers in terms of ERUE level. The technology gap ratio value is highest in Southern Europe. It demonstrates that southern European countries used the most advanced technology in education resource utilization. The average Malmquist Index (MI) in European countries is 1.0349. It Indicates a 3.49% growth in educational resource utilization. Technology is the primary determinant of productivity growth, as Technological change is higher than efficiency change. Southern European countries showed the highest MI of 1.0542. Italy, Lithuania, and Serbia were found to have higher average MI scores over the study period (1998-2021). Finally, the Kruskal Wallis test proved that ERUE and TGR in 4 different regions of Europe are heterogeneous. In contrast, the MI in European regions isn't found to be significantly different.

Repercussions of environmental policy stringency on carbon, energy and non-energy productivity in highly emerging economies: perspective of green growth.

Emerging economies have prioritized the enhancement of carbon and energy productivity to uphold environmental integrity. Consequently, the policymakers introduced the environmental policy stringency measure to control emission activities. Accordingly, this study explores the environmental stringency policy's impact on carbon, energy, and non-energy productivity over the period of 1995-2020. This study addresses the impact of environmental policy stringency on quality of life (exposure to environmental risk). Regardless of variation, growing economies have higher carbon productivity. It is worth noting that energy productivity compared to carbon is higher. Based on the findings derived from the CS-ARDL model, it can be concluded that environmental stringency policies significantly positively impact carbon productivity in emerging countries. Economies that implement stringent environmental rules have the potential to enhance both energy and non-energy productivity to a greater extent. Meanwhile, the environmental policy effectively reduces environmental risk exposure and increases the quality of life. Environmental technology is inefficient in promoting emerging economies' environmental productivity. Similarly, trade promotes carbon activities and may involve comparative advantage race, pollution heaven hypothesis possible to exist. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the notion that investing in human capital is crucial in enhancing productivity. The findings suggest a more comprehensive and integrated approach to environmental policy in rising economies. This all-encompassing strategy is considered crucial for making significant gains in carbon productivity and simultaneously promoting sustainable green growth.

The impact of public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development with economic growth on solid waste management of European countries: does governance quality matters.

Solid waste generation is a significant problem affecting the ecosystem, human health, and safety. However, the issue is not given the attention it truly deserves. Consequently, this study is aimed at assessing the impact of various factors, such as economic growth, public awareness, infrastructure, and technological advancements, on generating municipal waste in the European Union (EU) for the period 1995-2020. Furthermore, the study incorporated the mediating effect of economic growth and government effectiveness with public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development to reduce waste generation. By employing the bias-corrected method of moments, the study finds that overall waste generation does not decrease over time in EU economies. Furthermore, Denmark is the top-ranked country among the sampled countries to generate waste. However, Finland is at the top in government effectiveness. The empirical findings showed that economic growth is the significant reason for the increase in solid waste production. Additionally, the interaction effects of economic growth with public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development are positive. However, the individual impact of public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development is positive in reducing waste generation. Governance effectiveness is a significant tool to lower waste generation in European economies.

Evaluating the role of banking efficiency, institutions and financial development for sustainable development: Implications for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This study explores the relationship between banking efficiency and financial development in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) economies from 2007 to 2018. The study employs three dimensions to assess financial development: (i) depth, (ii) stability, and (iii) efficiency. In the initial stage, BRI banking efficiency is quantified using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Subsequently, the Generalized Method of Moments technique is applied to identify the connection between banking efficiency and financial development. The study employs fundamental structural benchmarks to evaluate disparities between actual financial development indicators and predicted values. Banking efficiency plays a crucial role in determining the depth, stability, and efficiency of financial development within BRI economies and is pivotal in closing these gaps. Strong institutional frameworks also support the advancement of the BRI's financial development sector. Moreover, foreign direct investment positively impacts reducing financial development gaps and promoting growth in the financial sector. The study concludes that BRI member countries should prioritize banking industry reforms to enhance the stability, depth, and efficiency of their financial sectors.

Sports resources utilization efficiency, productivity change, and regional production technology heterogeneity in Chinese Provinces: DEA-SBM and Malmquist Index Approaches.

The efficient allocation of sports resources for optimal outcomes remains a pressing national endeavour in China. Over the past two decades, substantial investments by provincial and national governments have been directed toward sports infrastructure development. This initiative aims to foster sports talent, facilitate excellence, host major sporting events, and enhance national pride and soft power. This study employs a comprehensive methodology encompassing Data Envelopment Analysis-Slack Based Measure (DEA-SBM), Meta Frontier Analysis, and Malmquist Productivity Index to assess Sports Resource Utilization Efficiency (SRUE), Technological Gap Ratio (TGR), and Productivity Growth (MI) across China's 31 provinces and 3 distinct regions for the period 2010-2021. The findings indicate that China's average SRUE stands at 0.6307, revealing an inefficiency of 36.93% in sports resource utilization. Noteworthy efficiency was observed in Beijing, Chongqing, Henan, Shaanxi, Shanghai, and Tianjin during the study duration. Furthermore, a consistent upward trajectory in SRUE from 2010 to 2021 highlights gradual and sustained progress. Comparatively, the eastern region showcases higher technological advancement (average TGR of 0.7598) than the central and western regions. The Malmquist Productivity Index (MI), with an average value of 1.05391, highlights a substantial 5.39% productivity growth. Notably, technological advancement emerges as the primary driver of this productivity increase, evident through the higher Total Factor Productivity Change (TC) of 1.0312 compared to the Efficiency Change (EC) of 1.0209. The Central region's outperforming productivity growth is noteworthy relative to the Eastern and Western regions. Conclusively, the Kruskal-Wallis test confirms significant disparities in the average MI, EC, TC, and TGR among all three regions of China.

Unveiling the liaison between financial development dimensions, energy efficiency and ecological footprint in the context of institutional frameworks: evidence from the Emerging-7 economies.

Financial development and energy efficiency can facilitate the transition towards a more environmentally sustainable and responsible economy. Simultaneously, the importance of institutional effectiveness cannot undermine the need to manage financial and energy consumption activities. To this end, the primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of financial development and energy efficiency on the ecological footprint of the Emerging-7 economies from 2000 to 2019. The study specifically focuses on the influence of these factors within the context of robust institutional mechanisms. We employ the STIRPAT (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology) model as the analytical framework to accomplish this. This study takes into consideration three aspects of financial development, which are: (i) the depth of financial development, (ii) the stability of financial development, and (iii) the efficiency of financial development. In addition, this study has developed an institutional index using principal component analysis. The index comprises several crucial indicators: Control of Corruption, Government Effectiveness, Political Stability, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Voice and Accountability. The study raises the importance of energy efficiency in terms of energy intensity on ecological footprint. The study's findings suggest that without robust institutional mechanisms, the potential of financial development depth, stability, and efficiency to improve ecological well-being may not be fully realized. However, the study concludes that these institutional mechanisms positively impact mitigating the ecological footprint.

Green transition and economic growth in G20 countries: evidence from disaggregated energy sources.

Green transitioning through renewable energy sources is the most effective strategy for any economy. This study investigates the extent to which G20 countries are shifting towards a green economy compared to prioritizing economic growth. To this end, the present study analyzes the nodes between income and renewable (solar, wind, hydro, and biomass) and nonrenewable (oil, coal, and gas) energy sources for the period of (1997-2020) in G20 countries. The energy-environmental Kuznets curve method is applied to study their behavior at various stages of growth. The main findings showed that wind, solar, and biomass energies have an inverted N-shaped relationship with income. The hydroelectricity did not follow any traditional EKC shape, showing a steady positive trend and growth. While nonrenewable energy consumption, i.e., coal, oil, and gas, follows an N-shaped EKC curve. The impact of foreign direct investment in the solar and wind sectors is positive. The varying outcomes concerning foreign direct investment (FDI) indicate that although G20 countries strive to achieve their green transition objectives by discouraging environmentally harmful investments, their success remains limited. The study indicates that G20 nations are progressing toward a green transition; however, additional technological innovations are required to transform these economies from brown to green. Governments can establish research institutions, offer grants and incentives, and encourage collaboration between academia, industry, and government to support green technology R&D.

Economic growth and environmental technology simultaneously important for reducing energy poverty and ecological footprint in E7 economies: do political institutions play a role?

Energy poverty and climate change are major concerns for the emerging seven countries. Therefore, this study explores the economic growth impact on reducing energy poverty and ecological footprint in the emerging seven economies from 2000 to 2019. Energy poverty is measured using three disciplines: availability poverty, accessibility poverty, and affordability poverty. We applied a new dynamic method, "bias-corrected method of moments estimators (2021)," for long-run outcomes. This study used the environmental Kuznets curve-approach to measure economic growth's scale effect and technique effect to reduce energy poverty and ecological footprint. Importantly, the study explores the mediating role of politically stable institutions in mitigating environmental and energy poverty. Our findings validate that energy poverty and ecological footprint could not reduce at the initial stage of economic growth. However, the later development stage shows a positive effect on reducing energy poverty and ecological footprint. These results validated an inverted U-shaped Kuznets curve hypothesis for emerging seven. Further, the result found that strong political systems are more quick-witted and have the legislative power to swiftly implement beneficial policies to pull out of the vicious circle of energy poverty. Further, environmental technology significantly reduced energy poverty and ecological footprint. The causality analysis entails that a bidirectional exists between energy poverty, income, and ecological footprint.

From "doing alone" to "working together"-Research on the influence of spiritual leadership on employee morale.

Spiritual leadership is a beneficial attempt to implement organizational strategy and sustainable development by improving employees' personal spiritual needs, stimulating employees' intrinsic motivation, sense of responsibility, and calling in the work process. We theoretically illustrate that spiritual leadership has a significant positive impact on employee morale. The factors of personal self-efficacy and interpersonal trust play an intermediary chain role in this process. SPSS 24.0 and Process3.5 were used to test the mediating effect using multilevel regression analysis and the bootstrap method. Survey data collected from 278 employees from Chinese organizations supported our proposed hypotheses. The research verifies it is necessary to pay attention to improving the spiritual needs of leaders and employees in organizational development. Through the cultivation, spiritual leadership not only can stimulate the cohesion of the organization and the intrinsic motivation of the employees, but also is of great significance to enrich the spiritual life of the organization members.

Energy efficiency evaluation, changing trends and determinants of energy productivity growth across South Asian countries: SBM-DEA and Malmquist approach.

Energy efficiency is widely regarded as the most efficient means of supplying additional energy to meet the rising demand. However, extensive energy consumption causes greenhouse emissions, environmental destruction, and a decrease in energy efficiency (EE). This study investigates the role of energy efficiency and productivity growth in the ecological improvement of South Asia. Moreover, it evaluates the determinants (efficiency change or technology change) of energy productivity change across different SA (South Asian) countries. To estimate the energy efficiency and productivity change, we employed SBM-DEA and Malmquist Productivity Index methods with three inputs (capital stock, labor, and energy consumption), a single desirable output (gross domestic product) and a single undesirable output (CO2 emissions) on the well-extended dataset (2001-2019) for 6 South Asian countries. Furthermore, to check the impact of energy policy (2010) over the study period, the statistical significance of the change in mean scores for energy efficiency and productivity over two time periods (2001-2010 and 2011-2019) and six countries was examined using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results reveal that the average EE score of all 6 SA countries for the study period is 0.7278. This score shows that SA countries still have the potential of 27.22% to improve their energy efficiency to minimize the inputs to get the optimum output level with the least emissions. The primary determinant of energy productivity growth is technological change instead of efficiency. The average energy efficiency level is significantly different for two time periods, 2001-2010 and 2011-2019. Results conclude that energy efficiency and productivity in SA declined over the period, and potential causes are an inefficiency in the energy conversion process, extensive utilization of inputs, and less output growth.

Impact of "Three Red Lines" Water Policy (2011) on Water Usage Efficiency, Production Technology Heterogeneity, and Determinant of Water Productivity Change in China.

This research evaluates the effects of the Three Red Lines policy on water usage efficiency (WUE), production technology heterogeneity, and water productivity change in 31 Chinese provinces between 2006 and 2020. SMB-DEA, Meta-frontier analysis, and Malmquist-Luenberger index (MLI) techniques were employed for estimation. Results revealed that the mean WUE (2006-2020) in all Chinese provinces was 0.52, with an improvement potential of 48%. Shanghai, Beijing, Shaanxi, and Tianjin were the best performers. The WUE scores before (2006-2011) and after (2012-2020) water policy implementation were 0.58 and 0.48, respectively; on average, there was more than a 9% decline in WUE after the implementation of the water policy. The eastern region has the most advanced water utilization technology as its technology gap ratio (TGR) is nearly 1. The average MLI (2006-2020) score was 1.13, suggesting that the MLI has increased by 12.57% over the study period. Further technology change (TC) is the key predictor of MLI growth, whereas efficiency change (EC) diminished from 2006 to 2020. The mean MLI score for 2006-2011 was 1.16, whereas the MLI Score for the period 2012-2020 was 1.10, indicating a modest decline following the implementation of the water policy. All three Chinese regions experienced MLI growth during 2006-2020, with TC the main change factor.

The dynamics of coordination patterns in multiteam systems response to emergency: Case study from a pharmaceutical enterprise.

Effective coordination of multiteam systems (MTSs) can help enterprises respond quickly to complex and uncertain problems under disasters. However, it is unclear how MTS coordination patterns dynamically affect MTS performance in disasters. This study examined how MTSs responded to an emergency production incident at the Zhejiang Huisong Pharmaceutical Company in China during the COVID-19 pandemic through a qualitative and quantitative study. Based on social network theory, we found that a centralized coordination pattern impacts MTS performance by giving play to the leadership team's network centrality position advantage during the crisis outbreak period. In the post-crisis period, the decentralized coordination pattern impacts MTS performance by giving play to the advantages of horizontal coordination. Our results help managers to consider the dynamics of coordination patterns in crisis management in ways that assist them in adapting an effective coordination pattern to changing and uncertain operational conditions.

The impact of COVID-19 on the US renewable and non-renewable energy consumption: a sectoral analysis based on quantile on quantile regression approach.

The repercussions of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic go well beyond health concerns, affecting virtually every aspect of our lives, including daily energy consumption. Therefore, this study explores the impact of COVID-19 on renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in the USA, which has been severely affected by the recent pandemic. We conducted a detailed analysis of the energy consumption demands of various sectors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Our in-depth analysis comprises two parts. Initially, we determine the monthly growth change by utilizing the month-on-month method. Subsequently, we used the quantile-on-quantile approach of Sim and Zhou (2015) on data spanning from December 2019 to August 2021 to explore the impact of COVID-19 on energy consumption across the whole distribution. The study's outcomes underscored that compared to renewable energy, non-renewable energy consumption was more affected by the COVID-19 lockdown, and the overall energy consumption (both renewable and non-renewable) remained low. These findings accentuate global strategic management tools to tackle COVID-19 cooperatively and restore the energy mix. Such measures are critical for energy access, security, and evenhandedness.

Efficiency evaluation of commercial banks in Pakistan: A slacks-based measure Super-SBM approach with bad output (Non-performing loans).

According to recent figures from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since 2006, commercial banks' non-performing loans (NPLs) have significantly risen. To this end, the primary objective of this research is to explore the impact of NPLs on the operational efficiency of commercial banks in Pakistan. NPLs were incorporated as bad output in the efficiency estimation of 24 CBs for the period 2006-2017. This study employs the data envelopment analysis (DEA) Super-SBM with the undesirable output for the efficiency evaluation of CBs. To test the robustness of our results, we used two different input-output bundles (model A and model B). The findings show a significant difference exists between the results estimated with and without undesirable output. Furthermore, the results of super-efficiency estimation rank the most efficient CB for the study period and distinguish it from other efficient DMUs. Models A and B show that foreign banks are always more efficient than domestic banks, while private CBs have higher efficiency scores than public CBs in domestic banking. In addition, the big five CBs show mixed findings, as in model A, they were more efficient than other domestic CBs, while in model B were less efficient. In the second stage of the empirical study, we use the system GMM to examine the impact of NPLs, bank size, and net interest margin on CBs efficiency. We discovered that NPLs have a negative and significant effect on banking efficiency, whereas bank size and net interest margin positively affect the efficiency of commercial banks in Pakistan.

A cross-country efficiency and productivity evaluation of commercial banks in South Asia: A meta-frontier and Malmquist productivity index approach.

South Asia primarily consists of developing economies with diverse financial systems. The commercial banking industry plays a crucial role in each country's financial development in the region. This research aims to evaluate commercial banking industries' efficiency and productivity growth in the South Asian (SA) region over 6 years (2013-2018). In addition, the technology gap among the banking industries of all countries is also explored. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) Meta-frontier is employed to measure the technical efficiency (TE) and technology gap ratio (TGR) among the countries. Further Malmquist productivity index (MPI) is used for productivity change estimation. Results indicate that, on average, 147 commercial banks (CBs) have a technical efficiency score of 0.6208, while CBs in Nepal are the most efficient in the region with an average score of 0.7153. The Meta frontier analysis also confirms the presence of different production technologies in CBs. Nepal's CBs group frontier is closer to meta-frontier (technology gap ratio, TGR = 0.9361) While, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka rank second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. The results of productivity contend that the total factor productivity change of all 147 CBs decreases by 0.8 percent on average over the study period. CBs have enhanced their productivity growth in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan, but declining trends have been witnessed in Indian and Bangladesh's commercial banking industries.

The nexuses between carbon emissions, agriculture production efficiency, research and development, and government effectiveness: evidence from major agriculture-producing countries.

Agriculture production efficiency and carbon emissions have become the challenge for the sustainable world. Therefore, this study explores the relationships between agriculture production and carbon emissions in major (seventeen) agriculture-producing countries over the time period of 1996-2018. Data envelopment analysis is applied to estimate the efficiency of agriculture sector production. The results suggested that the USA, Russia, Korea, Japan, and Italy were efficient agriculture production. Among BRICS countries, China (0.183), India (0.378), and Brazil (0.382) are far off to Russia in Agriculture production efficiency. Growth of research and development investment by 1% increases agriculture production efficiency by 0.0773 (full panel), 0.119 (developing), and 0.0245(developed), respectively. Carbon emissions are also significantly decreased by research and development investment. However, the effectiveness of the government on carbon emissions can be both positive and negative in developed and developing countries' cases. Nevertheless, both developed and developing governments are concerned about increasing agriculture production efficiency. The shape validity of the environmental Kuznets curve is also varied between the developed and developing groups. From the policy perspective, it is suggested that the government should reform its policies to avoid carbon activities and enhance the agricultural sector on a priority basis to increase the efficiency of current raw resources, generate jobs, and reap a variety of other advantages.

Unraveling the role of China's OFDI, institutional difference and B&R policy on energy efficiency: a meta-frontier super-SBM approach.

Under the Belt and Road initiative, the cooperative network between Chinese firms and participating countries has evolved rapidly to seek new markets for foreign investment. Foreign investment is one of the most effective ways of improving environmental energy efficiency through technology spillover. Therefore, first, this article applies the foreign direct investment theory with an interactive effect of institutional difference on energy efficiency. We employed the meta-frontier super-slacks-based measure approach to find the sampled countries' environmental energy efficiency. We also divided the study sample into six regions to consider group heterogeneity and the variation in energy efficiency performance in various Belt and Road regions. For the empirical investigation, we applied the generalized method of moments approach. The impact of China's outward foreign direct investment on energy efficiency is positive in the full sample. Nevertheless, the region-wise study found mixed results regarding China's outward foreign direct investment to promote energy efficiency and the Belt and Road region. In addition, the study further infers that institutional distance can be the greater impediment to promoting host countries' efficient energy-based investment.

The impact of trade on energy efficiency in the global value chain: A simultaneous equation approach.

Fostering energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to sustain economic growth while addressing climate change and limiting emissions. On the other hand, the pattern of international trade has changed many folds. The present study quantified the value-added trade (VAT) and developed a simultaneous equation model to empirically analyze the impact of value-added trade on energy efficiency in the global value chains (GVC). The Super-SBM model is used to estimate energy-efficiency. Empirical results indicate that India, Brazil, USA, Poland, France, Turkey, Israel, Italy are super-energy efficient, as their efficiency score is greater than 1. Secondly, value-added trade significantly improves energy efficiency by 0.434 after controlled the time and country effects. In addition, trade is divided into value-added exports and value-added imports to describe the internal trade mechanism, which depicts that the magnitude of the energy efficiency effect of value-added exports (0.011) is greater than that of imports (0.009). The findings also suggest that investment in R&D, foreign investment, and human education significantly improves energy efficiency. Foreign direct investment (FDI) positively increases the energy efficiency after controlled the unobserved fixed effects of country and year. It reflects the importance of the technology diffusion on increasing energy efficiency through FDI. Additionally, political regimes have also major impacts on both energy efficiency and value-added trade.