Green total factor productivity and ocean health: A global panel analysis of institutional, environmental and economic drivers

The deterioration of ocean health has become a critical global challenge due to increasing pressures from economic activities, environmental degradation, and institutional weaknesses. This study examines the impacts of economic growth, capture fisheries production, greenhouse gas emissions, and government effectiveness on ocean health at the global level during the period 2012–2022, using the Ocean Health Index (OHI) as a multidimensional measure of marine sustainability. A quantitative research design based on panel data analysis is employed using secondary data collected from the Ocean Health Index database, the World Bank, and Our World in Data. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, panel unit root tests, multicollinearity diagnostics, and panel model specification tests are conducted, followed by fixed-effects estimation with country-clustered standard errors. An environmentally extended Solow-residual method is then employed to calculate the Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) growth and added to an extended model of ocean health. The results indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between economic growth and ocean health, and a negative and significant relationship between government effectiveness and ocean health. Ocean health is statistically significant and negatively associated with the growth of GTFP, while both capture fisheries production and GHGs are statistically insignificant. The study demonstrates that ocean health is a multidimensional socio-ecological phenomenon shaped by the interaction of economic, environmental, institutional factors and productivity related aspects. These findings contribute to the literature by integrating economic, environmental, institutional and productivity related dimensions to provide a broader understanding of the factors associated with ocean health across countries.