Corruption's Shadow on Sustainability: Unveiling the Ecological Toll in Asia‐Pacific Countries

This study investigates the relationship between the Corruption Perceptions Index and the ecological footprint across 41 countries in the Asia‐Pacific region. Additionally, income status, information technologies and digitalisation are included as moderators in the relationship between the corruption perception index and ecological footprint. Pooled OLS regression and robustness testing using 2SLS are applied to data from 41 Asia‐Pacific countries during the 2013–2021 period. The empirical findings show that corruption has a significant negative impact on the ecological footprint of Asia‐Pacific nations. Factors such as high Internet usage, a large number of Internet subscribers, digital competitiveness and digital skills negatively moderate the relationship between corruption and the ecological footprint. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to investigate how the Corruption Perceptions Index affects the reduction of ecological footprints and the enhancement of environmental quality in Asia‐Pacific countries. The study incorporates information technologies, digitalisation and income levels as moderating variables that influence the relationship between corruption and ecological footprints, with the aim of improving environmental outcomes in the region.