This study investigates the structural and macroeconomic determinants of sustainable economic growth in Chongqing by integrating a multidimensional sustainability framework with dynamic econometric modeling. A composite sustainable economic growth index is constructed using an entropy-based weighting method, incorporating indicators of economic performance, social development, and innovation capacity to capture the systemic nature of sustainability. To examine both equilibrium relationships and adjustment dynamics, an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) error correction model is employed, enabling simultaneous estimation of long-run cointegration and short-run responses among variables with mixed integration orders. The empirical findings reveal that education expenditure, infrastructure development, and innovation capacity exert significant long-run effects on sustainable growth, while monetary conditions, exchange rate movements, and external sector dynamics primarily influence short-run adjustments. The analysis distinguishes structural drivers from cyclical macroeconomic factors, thereby providing a dynamic perspective on sustainability-oriented transformation. By integrating economic, social, and innovation subsystems within a unified empirical framework, this study advances existing literature and offers policy-relevant insights for regional economies undergoing structural transition.
Xinyao et al. (Wed,) studied this question.