Influence of smart governance on biodiversity and its transmission mechanisms in developing countries

Influence of smart governance on biodiversity and its transmission mechanisms in developing countries | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Influence of smart governance on biodiversity and its transmission mechanisms in developing countries Lauriane Maéva IBOUTSI This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8193616/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study makes a novel contribution to the literature on the effects of smart governance on biodiversity in developing countries, a field that remains underexplored and marked by inconclusive results. In particular, the mechanisms through which smart governance impacts biodiversity are still insufficiently documented. This research addresses this gap by analysing a panel of 74 developing countries over the period 2000–2023. Using system GMM estimation, the results indicate that smart governance does not exert a statistically significant direct effect on biodiversity, as measured by the ecological footprint. The analysis further reveals an inverted U-shaped nonlinear relationship between economic growth and biodiversity, with a threshold estimated at USD 2,196 per capita, beyond which rising income is associated with improved environmental indicators. However, structural equation mediation analysis uncovers substantial indirect effects through several socio-economic channels. Three transmission mechanisms prove to be decisive: smart governance positively influences biodiversity through women’s political empowerment, while urbanisation rates and energy consumption transmit negative effects. Overall, the findings suggest that smart governance can contribute to better ecological outcomes when combined with social, institutional, and economic transformations that promote citizen participation, sustainable urban planning, and the energy transition. JEL Classification : Q01, Q56, Q57, D73, O13 Smart governance biodiversity developing countries mediation Environmental Kuznets Curve Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 17 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 11 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Dec, 2025 Editor invited by journal 07 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 03 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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