Educational resource management projects through digital innovation: Data-driven insights into efficiency, resilience, and empirical modeling

Abstract

This study investigates the dynamic interactions between digital innovation, economic development, population growth, and foreign direct investment (FDI) in determining natural resource management effectiveness. As environmental and economic pressures intensify, understanding how digital innovation can enhance resilience, efficiency, and evidence-based decision-making in sustainable resource management becomes critically important. The research employs Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag (QARDL) modeling and wavelet coherence analysis to examine time series data spanning from 1991 to 2023. This methodological approach enables the identification of temporal and quantile-dependent interactions while revealing dynamic patterns of influence on natural resource management effectiveness across different time periods and variable distributions. Wavelet coherence analysis reveals increasing synchronization between digital innovation, foreign direct investment, and resource management efficiency since 2015, with correlations ranging from 0.8 to 1.0 across most time periods. QARDL estimates demonstrate stable long-term equilibrium among the studied variables, showing that digital technology and FDI contribute positively across quantiles, while population expansion consistently pressures resource efficiency. Economic development exhibits a dual role, enhancing short-term efficiency but generating adverse long-term effects. Education emerges as a pivotal factor that amplifies the positive impacts of digital innovation on sustainable resource management. The study establishes that digital innovation serves as a crucial driver for sustainable resource management effectiveness, particularly when supported by strategic foreign investment and educational development. The temporal analysis reveals evolving relationships between variables, with strengthening correlations in recent years indicating growing integration of digital solutions in resource management practices. Policymakers should prioritize investments in digital innovation, population management strategies, FDI-driven sustainability initiatives, and green capacity building to enhance natural resource efficiency, equity, and long-term environmental resilience. Education functions both as a beneficiary and driver of digital innovation, requiring integrated approaches that advance digital education alongside sustainability principles. Such strategies will empower future generations to address multidimensional challenges and lead transitions toward more efficient and equitable natural resource utilization through adaptive, time-sensitive policy interventions.