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Innovation under the Climate Wise program

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  • Brouhle, Keith
  • Graham, Brad
  • Harrington, Donna Ramirez

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of participation in the Climate Wise program, one of the largest voluntary programs enacted in the US, on innovative activity by firms. In operation from 1993 to 2000, the Climate Wise program was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting innovation in energy efficiency and energy related activities. We begin by examining what types of firms were most likely to participate in this voluntary initiative. We find that the Climate Wise program was attractive to large firms, more R&D intensive firms, and firms with more financial resources. To consider the impact of Climate Wise participation on the innovative behavior of firms, we investigate whether participants and non-participants differed in the number of successful environmental and non-environmental patent applications between 1993 and 2003. We find some evidence that participation in the Climate Wise leads to a change in environmental patenting but only among less R&D intensive firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Brouhle, Keith & Graham, Brad & Harrington, Donna Ramirez, 2013. "Innovation under the Climate Wise program," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 91-112.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:resene:v:35:y:2013:i:2:p:91-112
    DOI: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2012.12.002
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    Cited by:

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    2. Keith Brouhle & Brad Graham & Donna Ramirez Harrington, 2023. "Patents and P2: Innovation and Technology Adoption for Environmental Improvements," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(2), pages 439-474, February.
    3. Xiang Bi & Connor Mullally, 2021. "Does Peer Adoption Increase the Diffusion of Pollution Prevention Practices?," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 97(1), pages 224-245.
    4. Eugenio Zubeltzu‐Jaka & Artitzar Erauskin‐Tolosa & Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria, 2018. "Shedding light on the determinants of eco‐innovation: A meta‐analytic study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 1093-1103, November.
    5. Patricia Laurens & Christian Le Bas & Stéphane Lhuillery & Antoine Schoen, 2017. "The determinants of cleaner energy innovations of the world’s largest firms: the impact of firm learning and knowledge capital," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 311-333, May.
    6. Xin Chen & Na Wang, 2023. "From green to gold? A test of the innovation incentive and performance improvement effect of enterprise voluntary environmental management," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8005-8029, August.
    7. Ghisetti, Claudia & Pontoni, Federico, 2015. "Investigating policy and R&D effects on environmental innovation: A meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 57-66.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental innovation; Patents; Voluntary program;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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