Analyzing the Nexus Between Economic Policies and SDG 13 in G7 Countries: An fsQCA Approach

This study examines how policy mixes shape progress toward SDG 13 (climate action) in G7 economies through a configurational lens. Rather than treating instruments in isolation, the analysis reveals that outcomes emerge from complementarities and substitutions among governance arrangements, mitigation policies, finance–innovation systems, fiscal tools, renewable energy deployment, and labor–transition measures. Two recurrent logics stand out. A governance‐led logic aligns cross‐government coordination with mitigation and renewable deployment, converting similar inputs into faster diffusion—highlighting governance as a policy multiplier. A finance–innovation logic mobilizes capital and learning to advance decarbonization, where fiscal instruments face political or administrative constraints—demonstrating functional substitutability among instruments. Across configurations, comprehensive mitigation remains a non‐negotiable foundation, while the contribution of other elements is contingent on institutional context. The findings contribute theoretically by specifying when instruments act as complements versus substitutes and by clarifying how institutional coherence conditions policy effectiveness. For practice, they translate into portfolio guidance: prioritize mitigation as the baseline; pair it with governance alignment where administrative capacity is strong; or leverage finance–innovation channels where fiscal space is limited, buttressed by just‐transition measures. This configurational perspective provides a roadmap for context‐sensitive decarbonization strategies in advanced economies.