IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/finrev/v61y2026i1p261-278.html

Institutional Quality and Financial Development as Keys to Green Tech Innovation: New Global Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Mohamed Arbi Madani
  • Bochra Mannai
  • Hachmi Ben Ameur

Abstract

This study examines the impact of institutional quality and financial development on green‐technology innovation across 57 countries from 2000 to 2021. Using robust econometric models, the results indicate that enhancing institutional quality generally supports green investment, while appropriately regulated financial development contributes only when supervisory capacity and macroeconomic conditions are adequate. However, these effects are not uniform across countries and depend strongly on their level of development. In low‐income economies, neither institutional quality nor financial depth exerts a statistically discernible influence on innovation, suggesting that more basic capabilities remain the binding constraint. Upper‐middle‐income nations display mixed outcomes: institutional reforms can be helpful, yet deeper financial systems tend to dampen green innovation unless accompanied by sufficient economic growth; by contrast, in high‐income countries financial depth regains a modest positive role, whereas only rule‐of‐law component of institutional quality continue to spur innovation. Furthermore, the study uncovers a nonlinear relationship, revealing that the influence of institutional quality and financial development on green technology innovation changes once an economic growth threshold relevant mainly to upper‐middle‐income economies is reached. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring policy strategies to a country's development stage to maximize the effectiveness of institutional and financial reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamed Arbi Madani & Bochra Mannai & Hachmi Ben Ameur, 2026. "Institutional Quality and Financial Development as Keys to Green Tech Innovation: New Global Evidence," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 61(1), pages 261-278, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:finrev:v:61:y:2026:i:1:p:261-278
    DOI: 10.1111/fire.70018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/fire.70018
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/fire.70018?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Degbedji, Dado Fabrice & Akpa, Armand Fréjuis & Chabossou, Augustin Foster & Osabohien, Romanus, 2024. "Institutional quality and green economic growth in West African economic and monetary union," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(1).
    2. Yang, Hao-Chang & Cai, Yi-Fei & Zhang, Miao-Yin, 2022. "Political risk and green technology improvement: New insights from global evidence," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 1(1).
    3. Jaroslava Botev & Balázs Égert & Fredj Jawadi, 2019. "The nonlinear relationship between economic growth and financial development: Evidence from developing, emerging and advanced economies," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 160, pages 3-13.
    4. Bruce E. Hansen, 2000. "Sample Splitting and Threshold Estimation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 68(3), pages 575-604, May.
    5. Seo, Myung Hwan & Shin, Yongcheol, 2016. "Dynamic panels with threshold effect and endogeneity," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 195(2), pages 169-186.
    6. Linh Pham, 2019. "Does financial development matter for innovation in renewable energy?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(21), pages 1756-1761, December.
    7. Bekhet, Hussain Ali & Latif, Nurul Wahilah Abdul, 2018. "The impact of technological innovation and governance institution quality on Malaysia's sustainable growth: Evidence from a dynamic relationship," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 27-40.
    8. Lv, Chengchao & Shao, Changhua & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2021. "Green technology innovation and financial development: Do environmental regulation and innovation output matter?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    9. Peter Pedroni, 1999. "Critical Values for Cointegration Tests in Heterogeneous Panels with Multiple Regressors," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 61(S1), pages 653-670, November.
    10. Jung Yun Choi & Doo Bong Han, 2018. "The Links between Environmental Innovation and Environmental Performance: Evidence for High- and Middle-Income Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, June.
    11. Chaoyi Chen & Mehmet Pinar & Rocío Román-Collado, 2024. "Green Innovation and Energy Efficiency: Moderating Effect of Institutional Quality Based on the Threshold Model," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(12), pages 3063-3094, December.
    12. Popp, David, 2020. "Promoting Clean Energy Innovation at the State and Local Level," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(2), pages 360-373, August.
    13. Caner, Mehmet & Hansen, Bruce E., 2004. "Instrumental Variable Estimation Of A Threshold Model," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(5), pages 813-843, October.
    14. Yin, Qingwei, 2023. "Nexus among financial development and equity market on green economic finance: Fresh insights from European Union," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    15. Ankrah, Isaac & Lin, Boqiang, 2020. "Renewable energy development in Ghana: Beyond potentials and commitment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    16. Kao, Chihwa, 1999. "Spurious regression and residual-based tests for cointegration in panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 1-44, May.
    17. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    18. Goodness C. Aye & Prosper Ebruvwiyo Edoja, 2017. "Effect of economic growth on CO2 emission in developing countries: Evidence from a dynamic panel threshold model," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1379239-137, January.
    19. Ross Levine, 1997. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 688-726, June.
    20. Ruxu Sheng & Rong Zhou & Ying Zhang & Zidi Wang, 2021. "Green Investment Changes in China: A Shift-Share Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    21. repec:bla:obuest:v:61:y:1999:i:0:p:653-70 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Xudong Gao & Mingjun Fan, 2023. "The role of quality institutions and technological innovations in environmental sustainability: Panel data analysis of BRI countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(6), pages 1-19, June.
    23. Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson, 2019. "Rents and economic development: the perspective of Why Nations Fail," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 181(1), pages 13-28, October.
    24. Muhammad Sohail Amjad Makhdum & Muhammad Usman & Rakhshanda Kousar & Javier Cifuentes-Faura & Magdalena Radulescu & Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente, 2022. "How Do Institutional Quality, Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, and Financial Development Reduce Ecological Footprint without Hindering Economic Growth Trajectory? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-25, October.
    25. Yang, Lisha & Ni, Mengying, 2022. "Is financial development beneficial to improve the efficiency of green development? Evidence from the “Belt and Road” countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    26. Joakim Westerlund & David L. Edgerton, 2007. "New Improved Tests for Cointegration with Structural Breaks," Journal of Time Series Analysis, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 188-224, March.
    27. Andrew L. Friedman & Samantha Miles, 2002. "Developing Stakeholder Theory," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 1-21, 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. Markus Eberhardt & Francis Teal, 2011. "Econometrics For Grumblers: A New Look At The Literature On Cross‐Country Growth Empirics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 109-155, February.
    2. Chen, Chaoyi & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis, 2020. "Renewable energy consumption and economic growth nexus: Evidence from a threshold model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    3. Armand Fréjuis Akpa & Dado Fabrice Degbedji & Augustin Foster Chabossou, 2024. "Assessing the effect of financial inclusion on human capital in West Africa: an heterogeneous analysis based on income level," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-18, January.
    4. Polemis, Michael & Tselekounis, Markos, 2019. "Does deregulation drive innovation intensity? Lessons learned from the OECD telecommunications sector," MPRA Paper 92770, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Nasim, Asma & Ullah, Subhan & Kim, Ja Ryong & Hameed, Affan, 2023. "Energy shocks and bank efficiency in emerging economies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    6. Mehmet Balcilar & Ojonugwa Usman & George N. Ike, 2023. "Investing green for sustainable development without ditching economic growth," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 728-743, April.
    7. Anis Ochi & Makram Nouaili & Yosra Saidi & Amine Haouas & Anis Saidi, 2026. "Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth in Arab Countries: Do Institutions, Financial Development, and Knowledge Economy Matter?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 17(2), pages 5145-5179, April.
    8. Ijaz Uddin & Muhammad Azam Khan, 2024. "Global Evidence on the Impact of Globalization, Governance, and Financial Development on Economic Growth," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 14546-14577, September.
    9. Debnath, Pabitra & Dinda, Soumyananda, 2026. "Driving factors of renewable energy consumption growth: Dynamic panel data analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PE).
    10. Irfan Khan & Fujun Hou, 2021. "The Impact of Socio-economic and Environmental Sustainability on CO2 Emissions: A Novel Framework for Thirty IEA Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 1045-1076, June.
    11. Chen, Chaoyi & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis, 2021. "Determinants of renewable energy consumption: Importance of democratic institutions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 75-83.
    12. Chen, Chaoyi & Pinar, Mehmet & Stengos, Thanasis, 2022. "Renewable energy and CO2 emissions: New evidence with the panel threshold model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 117-128.
    13. Xiaohong Liu, 2023. "Impacts of Environmental Pollution and Digital Economy on the New Energy Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    14. Jiancheng, Xi & Boateng, Seth Acquah & Karikari, Frank Agyemang & Khan, Sana & Sackitey, Gabriel Mordzifa & Fumey, Michael Provide, 2026. "Financial markets and renewable energy transitions: Evidence from energy investment, domestic credit, market capitalisation and institutional quality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    15. Chien-Chiang Lee & Farzan Yahya & Asif Razzaq, 2023. "Greening South Asia with Financial Liberalization, Human Capital, and Militarization: Evidence from the CS-ARDL Approach," Energy & Environment, , vol. 34(6), pages 1957-1981, September.
    16. Hassan, Mahmoud & Lee, Ji-Yong & Rouge, Luc & Kouzez, Marc, 2025. "The impact of green public finance and green taxes on environmental and non-environmental innovation," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Ivan D. Trofimov & Nazaria Md. Aris, 2024. "Do exports enhance savings in the developing economies? An analysis of Maizels’ hypothesis," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 26(1), pages 156-185, April.
    18. Skare, Marinko & Ozturk, Ilhan & Porada-Rochoń, Małgorzata & Stjepanovic, Sasa, 2024. "Energy as the new frontier: Dynamic panel data analysis revealing energy's transformative role in economic growth and technological progress," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    19. Hussain, Muzzammil & Ye, ZhiWei & Usman, Muhammad & Mir, Ghulam Mustafa & Usman, Ahmad & Abbas Rizvi, Syed Kumail, 2020. "Re-investigation of the resource curse hypothesis: The role of political institutions and energy prices in BRIC countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    20. Tenaw, Dagmawe, 2022. "Do traditional energy dependence, income, and education matter in the dynamic linkage between clean energy transition and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 204-213.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:finrev:v:61:y:2026:i:1:p:261-278. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/efaaaea.html .

    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.