The Knowledge-Based Economy Structure and Energy Intensity Index Nexus: Evidence from Iran Provinces

Abstract

Increasing the efficiency of production factors poses as a main part of the overall Iranian resistance economic policies explicitly pointed out at paragraphs 3, 4 and 20. In the meantime, energy efficiency increase has been highly regarded through country's policy makings. Because increasing energy consumption intensity not only leads to waste resources, but also environmental deadlock as well as reduces ecological strength. In this regard, the realization of quantitative and qualitative structure of the knowledge-based economy in the country and the provinces could culminate in energy consumption intensity reduction. Regarding to cases mentioned above, this study aims to investigate the relationship between selected indicators of knowledge-based economic structure and energy intensity index among provinces of Iran during the period of 2010-2013. Therefore, the econometric models of study stipulated within the framework of panel data and coefficients were estimated by panel GLS estimator. According to the results, variables of Internet penetration rate and intensity of mobile phone subscribers have negatively and positively affected energy intensity index of provinces respectively. Furthermore, intensity of employees with Associate and BA degrees significant and negative affects on energy intensity of provinces. Also, the intensity of employees with Graduate Studies significantly decreases provinces energy intensity but less than the first.

Keywords

• energy intensity
• provinces of iran
• knowledge-based economy
• policies of resilence economy