From Innovation to Sustainability: Examining Technology-Driven Economic Transformation

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between technological innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. Given the economic, institutional, and developmental diversity of BRI economies, understanding how innovation and growth contribute to sustainability is essential. The study addresses the limited empirical evidence on the combined influence of technological progress and economic performance on sustainable development within this heterogeneous group of countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research uses a balanced panel dataset of 29 BRI countries covering the period 2001–2021, comprising 609 country-year observations. The analysis applies descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, panel unit root tests, and panel regression techniques, including pooled OLS, two-way fixed-effects, and two-way random-effects models. Model selection is conducted through redundant fixed-effects and Hausman tests to ensure appropriate estimation. Findings: The results show that technological innovation and economic growth have positive and statistically significant relationships with sustainable development. The preferred fixed-effects model confirms these associations after controlling for country-specific characteristics and time-related shocks. However, evidence of residual correlation suggests that findings should be interpreted as conditional relationships rather than direct causal effects. Implications/Originality/Value: The study highlights that sustainable development requires coordinated progress in economic growth, innovation capacity, technology diffusion, and human capital development. Its originality lies in integrating technological innovation and economic growth within the BRI sustainability framework while applying robust model-selection procedures to distinguish reliable within-country effects from pooled relationships.