A Technology‐First Framework for SDG Implementation in Carbon‐Based Economies: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

ABSTRACT

Only 17% of Sustainable Development Goal indicators are globally on track, yet the structural conditions explaining this failure remain inadequately theorised for fossil‐fuel‐dependent economies. This study develops and empirically tests a four‐layer loop framework of Technology, Well‐being, Social Equity, and Sustainability closing through SDG 17 into a self‐reinforcing developmental spiral, positioning investment in water, energy, industry, and urban infrastructure as the primary catalyst for cascading Sustainable Development Goals progress. Iraq is employed as an empirical test case; a mixed‐methods approach integrates a review of 486 sources, a survey of 2830 participants, 30 expert interviews, interlinkage analysis using the Nilsson typology, and multivariate statistical validation using Kendall's Tau‐b and ordinary least squares regression. The results demonstrate that the Technology layer carries the highest cumulative SDG influence (τ = 0.60; p  < 0.001), while Sustainability‐to‐Technology feedback ( β  = 0.81) confirms the framework's self‐reinforcing character. Systematic gaps in global SDG reporting misrepresent implementation challenges in structurally constrained contexts. The framework offers a replicable diagnostic applicable to resource‐dependent states across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Central Asia.