E-government and economic governance for global environmental performance: An exploration of sustainability typologies and transitions

Abstract

Acknowledging the contemporary relevance of Environmental Sustainability to the SDG agenda, this study explores the role of Economic Governance (ECOGOV) and E-Government (EGOV) in contributing to the global Environmental Performance. Drawing rich insights from goal framing theory, public value theory, and the sustainability transition scholarship, we conceive a framework outlining the distinct ways in which ECOGOV and EGOV can combine to engender unique socio-technical systems. We reflect on the predispositions of these socio-technical systems towards Environmental Sustainability and subsequently employ a multi-method approach to (i) investigate their Environmental Performance levels, (ii) understand their tendency to transition towards alternative value configurations, (iii) identify their dominant transition paths, and (iv) forecast the relative composition of these systems for 2030 (the target SDG year) while deliberating its implications for global Environmental Performance achievement. Our findings reveal an unequivocal tendency towards incremental transition pathways, with a vast majority of the countries forecasted to underperform on their Environmental Performance obligations. We draw implications for theory and practice while identifying future research avenues.