Consumer environmental awareness and green R&D subsidy policy under Cournot–Bertrand comparisons

This study examines the impacts of consumer environmental awareness on green R&D subsidy policies under different market competition modes when firms adopt green strategies for emissions-reduction activities. We demonstrate that governments grant fewer subsidies to Cournot firms than Bertrand firms. Thus, Cournot firms produce lower outputs and invest less in green R&D. However, firms’ profits and social welfare are higher (lower) in Cournot than in Bertrand firms if the product substitutability is high (low). We also investigate an endogenous competition mode game and find that a Cournot (Bertrand) competition is a socially desirable equilibrium when products substitutability is relatively high (low) while consumer environmental awareness is not sufficiently high (low). These findings suggest that through appropriate green subsidies, antitrust authorities should monitor not only consumer environmental awareness but also firms’ competition mode coordination.