IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v76y2025ics1544612325001564.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Choosing between quality and quantity in environmental innovation under institutional complexity

Author

Listed:
  • Yin, Heng

Abstract

While previous research on environmental innovation offers insights into environmental innovation quantity incentives, less attention has been paid to environmental innovation quality. The present study fills this gap by investigating how government and shareholders can affect firms’ environmental innovation quantity and quality. We suggest that firms with higher state ownership respond to government mandates with higher environmental innovation quantity and quality. Moreover, firms suffering financial difficulties lead to lower environmental innovation quantity and quality. We further propose that firms facing mandates from both government and shareholders exhibit a decoupling between quantity and quality. A sample of Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2019 supports our arguments. The research contributes to the environmental innovation and institutional complexity literature by exploring the antecedents of environmental innovation quality and identifying the decoupling between quantity and quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Yin, Heng, 2025. "Choosing between quality and quantity in environmental innovation under institutional complexity," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:76:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325001564
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.106892
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325001564
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.106892?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Higham, Kyle & de Rassenfosse, Gaétan & Jaffe, Adam B., 2021. "Patent Quality: Towards a Systematic Framework for Analysis and Measurement," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(4).
    2. Brian Chi-ang Lin & Siqi Zheng & Nicolò Barbieri & Claudia Ghisetti & Marianna Gilli & Giovanni Marin & Francesco Nicolli, 2016. "A Survey Of The Literature On Environmental Innovation Based On Main Path Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 596-623, July.
    3. Jing Li & Jun Xia & Edward J. Zajac, 2018. "On the duality of political and economic stakeholder influence on firm innovation performance: Theory and evidence from Chinese firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 193-216, January.
    4. Zhongju Liao & Yan Liu & Mengsha Li, 2020. "Is environmental innovation contagious? A study on the mechanism of individual firms' environmental innovation affecting the industry," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 1787-1795, November.
    5. Zhang, Lin & Xu, Yuehua & Chen, Honghui & Jing, Runtian, 2020. "Corporate Philanthropy After Fraud Punishment: An Institutional Perspective," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 33-68, February.
    6. Leonid Kogan & Dimitris Papanikolaou & Amit Seru & Noah Stoffman, 2017. "Technological Innovation, Resource Allocation, and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(2), pages 665-712.
    7. Vanessa Oltra, 2008. "Environmental innovation and industrial dynamics: the contributions of evolutionary economics," Post-Print hal-00391489, HAL.
    8. Yalabik, Baris & Fairchild, Richard J., 2011. "Customer, regulatory, and competitive pressure as drivers of environmental innovation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(2), pages 519-527, June.
    9. Xin Pan & Xuanjin Chen & Paresha Sinha & Niannian Dong, 2020. "Are firms with state ownership greener? An institutional complexity view," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 197-211, January.
    10. Marquis, Christopher & Yin, Juelin & Yang, Dongning, 2017. "State-Mediated Globalization Processes and the Adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 167-191, March.
    11. Christopher Marquis & Cuili Qian, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: Symbol or Substance?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 127-148, February.
    12. Sascha Rexhäuser & Christian Rammer, 2014. "Environmental Innovations and Firm Profitability: Unmasking the Porter Hypothesis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 57(1), pages 145-167, January.
    13. Horváthová, Eva, 2010. "Does environmental performance affect financial performance? A meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 52-59, November.
    14. Die Hu & Lu Qiu & Maoyan She & Yu Wang, 2021. "Sustaining the sustainable development: How do firms turn government green subsidies into financial performance through green innovation?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2271-2292, July.
    15. Xin Pan & Paresha Sinha & Xuanjin Chen, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and eco‐innovation: The triple bottom line perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 214-228, January.
    16. Justin Doran & Geraldine Ryan, 2016. "The Importance of the Diverse Drivers and Types of Environmental Innovation for Firm Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 102-119, February.
    17. Horbach, Jens, 2008. "Determinants of environmental innovation--New evidence from German panel data sources," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 163-173, February.
    18. Mike W. Peng & Garry D. Bruton & Ciprian V. Stan & Yuanyuan Huang, 2016. "Theories of the (state-owned) firm," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 293-317, June.
    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. Zhongju Liao & Xiang Zhu, 2022. "A configurational analysis of firms' environmental innovation: Evidence from China's key pollutant‐discharge listed companies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1511-1522, December.
    2. Zhongju Liao, 2018. "Corporate culture, environmental innovation and financial performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1368-1375, December.
    3. Peter S. Hofman & Constantin Blome & Martin C. Schleper & Nachiappan Subramanian, 2020. "Supply chain collaboration and eco‐innovations: An institutional perspective from China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2734-2754, September.
    4. 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.
    5. Xuanjin Chen & Xin Pan & Paresha Sinha, 2022. "What to green: Family involvement and different types of eco‐innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2588-2602, July.
    6. Yu Wang & Yetaotao Qiu & Yi Luo, 2022. "CEO foreign experience and corporate sustainable development: Evidence from China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2036-2051, July.
    7. Antonioli, Davide & Ghisetti, Claudia & Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Nicolli, Francesco, 2022. "The economic returns of circular economy practices," FEEM Working Papers 319761, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    8. Alessandra Colombelli & Jackie Krafft & Francesco Quatraro, 2021. "Firms’ growth, green gazelles and eco-innovation: evidence from a sample of European firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1721-1738, April.
    9. Ghisetti, Claudia & Rennings, Klaus, 2013. "Environmental innovations and profitability: How does it pay to be green? An empirical analysis on the German innovation survey," ZEW Discussion Papers 13-073, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. Nicol`o Barbieri & Kerstin Hotte & Peter Persoon, 2025. "The evolving boundary of green technology," Papers 2503.21310, arXiv.org.
    11. 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.
    12. Jia, Xingping & Wang, Jiangzhe & Liu, Tingting, 2024. "The impact of business-to-government relationship emphasis on green innovation: An empirical analysis," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    13. Chen, Yuhuilin & Yuan, Ruizhi & Guo, Xinran & Ni, Tao, 2024. "Do foreign acquisitions improve target firms’ green innovation performance?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Elisenda Jové‐Llopis & Agustí Segarra‐Blasco, 2020. "Why does eco‐innovation differ in service firms? Some insights from Spain," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 918-938, March.
    15. Jana Hojnik, 2017. "In Pursuit of Eco-innovation," UPP Monograph Series, University of Primorska Press, number 978-961-7023-53-4.
    16. Hong Zhang & Chudi Yang & Weiguo Zhong, 2024. "Do political ties facilitate or inhibit firm innovation in China? An examination of the institutional structure," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 2059-2089, December.
    17. Sebastian Losacker & Hendrik Hansmeier & Jens Horbach & Ingo Liefner, 2023. "The geography of environmental innovation: a critical review and agenda for future research," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 43(2), pages 291-316, August.
    18. Pinget, Amandine, 2016. "Spécificités des déterminants des innovations environnementales : une approche appliquée aux PME [Specificities of determinants for environmental innovation : an approach applied to SMEs]," MPRA Paper 80108, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Landoni, Matteo, 2020. "Knowledge creation in state-owned enterprises," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 77-85.
    20. Elisenda Jové-Llopis & Agustí Segarra-Blasco, 2018. "Eco-Efficiency Actions and Firm Growth in European SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, January.

    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:eee:finlet:v:76:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325001564. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    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.