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Environmental regulations and innovation for sustainability? Moderating effect of political connections

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  • Wu, Bao
  • Fang, Hanqing
  • Jacoby, Gady
  • Li, Geling
  • Wu, Zhenyu

Abstract

Companies are subject to both formal regulation pressure from government and informal regulation pressure from other stakeholders to adopt green innovations for sustainability. Using a sample of 4924 private Chinese companies, our empirical study indicates that both formal and informal regulation pressures have a positive effect on green innovation. We also find that political connections positively moderate the effect of formal regulation pressure on green innovation, but negatively moderate the effect of informal regulation pressure on green innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Wu, Bao & Fang, Hanqing & Jacoby, Gady & Li, Geling & Wu, Zhenyu, 2022. "Environmental regulations and innovation for sustainability? Moderating effect of political connections," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ememar:v:50:y:2022:i:c:s1566014121000431
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ememar.2021.100835
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    4. Chih-Hsing Liu & Quoc Phong La & Yen-Ling Ng & Rullyana Puspitaningrum Mamengko, 2023. "Discovering the Sustainable Innovation Service Process of Organizational Environment, Information Sharing and Satisfaction: The Moderating Roles of Pressure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-26, July.
    5. Chen Hu & Yanan Li & Penghao Ye, 2023. "The Halo Effect of Government: Does State-Owned Capital Promote the Green Innovation of Chinese Private Enterprises?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Quan Guo & Jun Hong & Jing Rong & Haiyan Ma & Mengnan Lv & Mengyang Wu, 2022. "Impact of Environmental Regulations on High-Quality Development of Energy: From the Perspective of Provincial Differences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-16, September.
    7. Wu, Bao & Fang, Chevy-Hanqing & Wang, Qi & Huang, Qiongxian, 2023. "Does managerial networking impinge our morality in Guanxi context? The moderating effect of corruption perception," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    8. Zihao Wu & Ye Wang, 2023. "Does Heterogeneous Environmental Regulation Induce Regional Green Economic Growth? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-14, June.
    9. Xiumei Xu & Ruolan Jing & Feifei Lu, 2022. "Environmental Regulation, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Disclosure and Enterprise Green Innovation: Evidence from Listed Companies in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-24, November.
    10. Yong Geng & Wei Liu & Hanshu Chen & Xinyu Zou, 2023. "The Spillover Effects of Environmental Regulations: A Perspective of Chinese Unregulated Firms' Tax Burden," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 31(2), pages 84-111, March.
    11. José Luís Lopes & Leonardo Fernando Cruz Basso, 2023. "The Impact of Eco-Innovation Adoption on Business Performance—A Study of the Hospitality Sector in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, May.

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