Financial inclusion, renewable energy consumption, and inclusive growth: cross-country evidence

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy to varying degrees. Coupled with the widening gap caused by the unbalanced distribution of resources, the sustainability and inclusiveness of economic growth have been challenged. To explore the influencing factors of the level of economic inclusive growth among different countries, we used the spatial Durbin model to analyze the relationship between financial inclusion, renewable energy consumption, and inclusive growth based on panel data of 40 countries from 2010 to 2020. The results indicate a spatial autocorrelation in inclusive growth; financial inclusion and renewable energy consumption both contributed positively to inclusive growth, while industrial structure upgrading played a negative moderating role between domestic renewable energy consumption and inclusive growth. The results of this study provide insights into achieving better inclusive growth and maintaining sustainable and balanced economic development. Based on this, policy recommendations such as expanding the coverage of inclusive finance, optimizing the energy structure, and changing the economic development model are put forward.