How does control of corruption determine the structure of energy consumption? New empirical insights from ASEAN countries.

Abstract

Corruption is a significant barrier to societal progress, economic development, and environmental sustainability. This study investigates how corruption control (CC) influences the energy consumption structure in ASEAN countries over the period 1998-2022. Specifically, it examines the effects of CC on renewable energy consumption (REC), non-renewable energy consumption (NEC), and total energy consumption per capita (TEC). Employing the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, with Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) as robustness checks, the analysis reveals that stronger corruption control significantly increases REC and TEC, while reducing NEC. These findings suggest that effective governance and anti-corruption efforts can facilitate a transition toward cleaner energy systems in the ASEAN region. The study offers empirical support for integrating anti-corruption strategies into energy policy frameworks to enhance sustainability outcomes.