Yuliia Zavdovieva

Type of the article: Research Article

Profound ecological and technological shifts are transforming the foundations of global development and redefining the trajectory of contemporary globalization. The study aims to investigate the role of the sustainable economy in shaping a new globalized development model in the context of disruptive technologies and Industry 4.0. The results demonstrate that sustainability and advanced digital-cyber-physical technologies act as mutually reinforcing drivers of structural change, enabling the transition toward circular production systems, intelligent resource management, and human-centered industrial paradigms. The study confirms that sustainability becomes the new logic of globalization, in which additive production, renewable energy, cyber-physical systems, and intelligent networks form disruptive trends reshaping political and economic relations. Recent market assessments indicate that the global Industry 4.0 sector has already reached a value of USD 180–200 billion, with projections ranging from USD 600–900 billion by 2034. Within a sample of developed economies, an increase in the Globalization Index by one point decreases the Sustainable Development Index by 0.68 points. The scientific novelty lies in the conceptualization of the sustainable economy through both classical and globalization approaches: the former focuses on additive, resource-efficient production, while the latter interprets sustainability as a new organizing logic of globalization that reshapes geopolitical interactions, redistributes technological power, and embeds ecological constraints into global governance. The study concludes that the sustainable economy represents a new globalization reality in which ecological principles, digital intelligence, and technological sovereignty jointly define long-term development trajectories.

Acknowledgments
The paper is prepared within the scientific research projects “Digital transformations to ensure civil protection and post-war economic recovery in the face of environmental and social challenges” (№0124U000549).

Type of the article: Research Article

The relevance of the study stems from the transformation of modern work models from the technologically oriented Industry 4.0 paradigm to the human-centric Industry 5.0, where employee autonomy is emerging and becoming established as a global trend. The paper aims to conceptualize employee autonomy as an economic resource by optimizing work–life balance and assessing its impact on productivity and population well-being. For the analysis, panel data were collected for 123 countries over the period 2005–2023. The methodological basis of the study is the Levin–Lin–Chu unit root test, the Breusch–Pagan Lagrangian multiplier test, the Hausman specification test, and GLS regression estimation. The study found that, on average, in the group of accessible countries, each additional 100 hours worked per year reduces labor productivity by USD 2 per hour. An increase of one hour in the working year reduces GDP per capita by USD 28.48 per person.

Furthermore, a one percent increase in the length of the working year is associated with a 2.71 percent drop in GDP per capita per hour. Thus, productivity in the Industry 5.0 paradigm at the global level is predominantly qualitative and is shaped by focus, intrinsic motivation, and decentralized decision-making, rather than by increasing working hours. It is concluded that worker autonomy is an economically significant factor in enhancing productivity, innovation potential, and contributing to the geopolitical and geoeconomic sustainability of societies in the era of globalization.

Acknowledgments
The paper is prepared within the scientific research projects “Digital transformations to ensure civil protection and post-war economic recovery in the face of environmental and social challenges” (No. 0124U000549) and “Fundamental grounds for Ukraine’s transition to a digital economy based on the implementation of Industries 3.0; 4.0; 5.0” (No. 0124U000576).