IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i9p5447-d807039.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Eco-Innovation Projects Target Environmental Fragile Areas? The Case Study of Some Italian Southern Regions through a Spatial Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Stefano De Falco

    (Department of Political Sciences, University Federico II of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy)

  • Alberto Corbino

    (Department of Political Sciences, University Federico II of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy)

Abstract

A fundamental objective for the effectiveness and, above all, for the efficiency of the dynamics of environmental sustainability is related to the correct directing of project actions towards those areas that need them most. This contribution intends to verify whether the spatial distribution of eco-innovation projects in some regions of Southern Italy affects areas characterized by greater environmental fragility. The proposed approach highlights a centrality of the spatial perspective, thus underlining how important and necessary it is for political actors to evaluate the goodness of projects not in absolute terms but in relation to their relationship with the territory in which they are implemented. To this end, the methodology used envisages two actions, a cartographic comparison between the distribution of environmental projects and that of environmental fragility and an analytical evaluation of the spatial autocorrelation between contiguous areas to detect any geographical determinisms. The results show a “positive” independence regarding the presence of eco-innovation even in the absence of environmental fragility but not vice versa.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefano De Falco & Alberto Corbino, 2022. "Do Eco-Innovation Projects Target Environmental Fragile Areas? The Case Study of Some Italian Southern Regions through a Spatial Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5447-:d:807039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5447/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5447/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kiani Mavi, Reza & Saen, Reza Farzipoor & Goh, Mark, 2019. "Joint analysis of eco-efficiency and eco-innovation with common weights in two-stage network DEA: A big data approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 553-562.
    2. Cainelli, Giulio & D’Amato, Alessio & Mazzanti, Massimiliano, 2020. "Resource efficient eco-innovations for a circular economy: Evidence from EU firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    3. D'Alisa, Giacomo & Burgalassi, David & Healy, Hali & Walter, Mariana, 2010. "Conflict in Campania: Waste emergency or crisis of democracy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 239-249, December.
    4. Rennings, Klaus, 2000. "Redefining innovation -- eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 319-332, February.
    5. Kiani Mavi, Reza & Kiani Mavi, Neda, 2021. "National eco-innovation analysis with big data: A common-weights model for dynamic DEA," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    6. Joseph Sarkis & Qingyun Zhu, 2018. "Environmental sustainability and production: taking the road less travelled," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(1-2), pages 743-759, January.
    7. De Marchi, Valentina, 2012. "Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: Empirical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 614-623.
    8. Anass Cherrafi & Said Elfezazi & Kannan Govindan & Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes & Khalid Benhida & Ahmed Mokhlis, 2017. "A framework for the integration of Green and Lean Six Sigma for superior sustainability performance," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(15), pages 4481-4515, August.
    9. Massimiliano Mazzanti, 2018. "Eco-innovation and sustainability: dynamic trends, geography and policies," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(11), pages 1851-1860, September.
    10. Tomasz Kijek & Anna Matras-Bolibok, 2020. "Knowledge-intensive Specialisation and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in the EU Regional Scope," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 68(1), pages 181-188.
    11. Qiu, Xuan & Luo, Hao & Xu, Gangyan & Zhong, Runyang & Huang, George Q., 2015. "Physical assets and service sharing for IoT-enabled Supply Hub in Industrial Park (SHIP)," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 4-15.
    12. Mark Graham, 2014. "Inequitable Distributions in Internet Geographies: The Global South Is Gaining Access, but Lags in Local Content," Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, MIT Press, vol. 9(3-4), pages 3-19, Summer-Fa.
    13. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    14. Waldo R. Tobler, 1965. "Computation Of The Correspondence Of Geographical Patterns," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 131-139, January.
    15. Jens Horbach, 2014. "Do eco-innovations need specific regional characteristics? An econometric analysis for Germany," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 34(1), pages 23-38, February.
    16. Cristina Chaminade & Filippo Randelli, 2020. "The Role of Territorially Embedded Innovation Ecosystems Accelerating Sustainability Transformations: A Case Study of the Transformation to Organic Wine Production in Tuscany (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-13, June.
    17. Wood, Sylvia L.R. & Jones, Sarah K. & Johnson, Justin A. & Brauman, Kate A. & Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca & Fremier, Alexander & Girvetz, Evan & Gordon, Line J. & Kappel, Carrie V. & Mandle, Lisa & Mullig, 2018. "Distilling the role of ecosystem services in the Sustainable Development Goals," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(PA), pages 70-82.
    18. Kevin Morgan, 2004. "The exaggerated death of geography: learning, proximity and territorial innovation systems," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 3-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tomasz Kijek & Anna Matras-Bolibok, 2020. "Spatial Distribution of Eco-Innovation Performance: Evidence from European Countries," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 2), pages 766-778.
    2. Losacker, Sebastian, 2022. "‘License to green’: Regional patent licensing networks and green technology diffusion in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Ying, Ying & Wang, Shixiang & Liu, Yang, 2022. "Make bricks without straw: Eco-innovation for resource-constrained firms in emerging markets," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    4. Grazia Cecere & Nicoletta Corrocher & Maria Luisa Mancusi, 2020. "Financial constraints and public funding of eco-innovation: empirical evidence from European SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 285-302, January.
    5. Siedschlag, Iulia & Meneto, Stefano & Tong Koecklin, Manuel, 2019. "Determinants of green innovations: Firm-level evidence," Papers WP643, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    6. Sanni, Maruf, 2018. "Drivers of eco-innovation in the manufacturing sector of Nigeria," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 303-314.
    7. Adrián Rabadán & Ángela Triguero & Ángela Gonzalez-Moreno, 2020. "Cooperation as the Secret Ingredient in the Recipe to Foster Internal Technological Eco-Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Alexandra Rese & Anke Kutschke & Daniel Baier, 2016. "Analyzing The Relative Influence Of Supply Side, Demand Side And Regulatory Factors On The Success Of Collaborative Energy Innovation Projects," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(02), pages 1-43, February.
    9. Torrecillas, Celia & Fernández, Sara & García-García, Claudia, 2023. "Drivers to increase eco-efficiencies in Uruguay, Peru, and Panama," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    10. Fernanda Q. Sperotto & Iván G. P. Tartaruga, 2021. "The Green Side of Industry: The Drivers and the Impacts of ECO-Innovations in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.
    11. Lorena M. D'Agostino & Rosina Moreno, 2019. "Green regions and local firms' innovation," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(4), pages 1585-1608, August.
    12. Peiró-Signes, Ángel & Segarra-Oña, Marival & Trull-Domínguez, Óscar & Sánchez-Planelles, Joaquín, 2022. "Exposing the ideal combination of endogenous–exogenous drivers for companies’ ecoinnovative orientation: Results from machine-learning methods," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    13. Horbach, Jens & Jacob, Jojo, 2017. "The relevance of personal characteristics and gender diversity for (eco)-innovation activities at the firm-level : Results from a linked employer-employee database in Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 201711, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    14. Iulia Siedschlag & Stefano Meneto & Manuel Tong Koecklin, 2022. "Enabling Green Innovations for the Circular Economy: What Factors Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-24, September.
    15. Serenella Caravella & Francesco Crespi, 2022. "On the growth impact of different eco-innovation business strategies," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(2), pages 657-683, July.
    16. Antonella Biscione & Raul Caruso & Annunziata de Felice, 2021. "Environmental innovation in European transition countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 521-535, January.
    17. Andriana G. Dimakopoulou & Nikos Chatzistamoulou & Kostas Kounetas & Kostas Tsekouras, 2023. "Environmental innovation and R&D collaborations: Firm decisions in the innovation efficiency context," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1176-1205, August.
    18. Jens Horbach & Jojo Jacob, 2018. "The relevance of personal characteristics and gender diversity for (eco‐)innovation activities at the firm‐level: Results from a linked employer–employee database in Germany," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 924-934, November.
    19. Lirios Alos-Simo & Antonio J. Verdu-Jover & Jose M. Gomez-Gras, 2020. "Knowledge Transfer in Sustainable Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Periods of Financial Recession and Expansion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-24, June.
    20. Jolanta Pakulska, 2021. "The Eco-Innovation versus Economic Development on the EU Example," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 999-1008.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5447-:d:807039. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.