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The Determinants of Environmental Innovations and Patenting: Germany Reconsidered

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  • Tilmann Rave
  • Frank Goetzke
  • Mario Larch

Abstract

This paper provides new evidence on the objectives and determinants of different types of innovations and patents, environmental as opposed to other innovations and patents, and different variants of environmental innovations and patents. We investigate how firm-specific and sector-specific driving forces differ by innovation type. Moreover, we outline the functions that different innovation types have for environmental and innovation policies. We find that eco-innovators put relatively more attention to cost reduction, in particular the reduction of energy and resource costs, compared to other innovators. Cost pressure and reliable, predictable and strict framework conditions of environmental policy turns out to be an important driver for more incremental, firm-level eco-innovations contributing to the diffusion of principally known technologies among firms. By contrast, more far-reaching patented eco-innovations are driven by the opportunity to create new markets and by government subsidies.

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  • Tilmann Rave & Frank Goetzke & Mario Larch, 2011. "The Determinants of Environmental Innovations and Patenting: Germany Reconsidered," ifo Working Paper Series 97, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ifowps:_97
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    4. Peñasco, Cristina & del Río, Pablo & Romero-Jordán, Desiderio, 2017. "Analysing the Role of International Drivers for Eco-innovators," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 56-71.
    5. Céline Merlin-Brogniart & Simon Nadel, 2021. "Specificities of environmental innovation dynamics in service firms: the French case," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 451-473, April.
    6. Fulvio Castellacci & Christine Mee Lie, 2016. "A Taxonomy Of Green Innovators:Empirical Evidence From South Korea," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20160808, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    7. Horbach, Jens & Rammer, Christian & Rennings, Klaus, 2012. "Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact — The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 112-122.
    8. Marin, Giovanni, 2014. "Do eco-innovations harm productivity growth through crowding out? Results of an extended CDM model for Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 301-317.
    9. Pablo del Río & Cristina Peñasco & Desiderio Romero‐Jordán, 2015. "Distinctive Features of Environmental Innovators: An Econometric Analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 361-385, September.
    10. Pilar Portillo-Tarragona & Sabina Scarpellini & Jose M. Moneva & Jesus Valero-Gil & Alfonso Aranda-Usón, 2018. "Classification and Measurement of the Firms’ Resources and Capabilities Applied to Eco-Innovation Projects from a Resource-Based View Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-23, September.
    11. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & José‐Luis Zafra‐Gómez, 2021. "Do independent, female and specialist directors promote eco‐innovation and eco‐design in agri‐food firms?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1136-1152, February.
    12. 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.
    13. Jana Hojnik, 2017. "In Pursuit of Eco-innovation," UPP Monograph Series, University of Primorska Press, number 978-961-7023-53-4.
    14. 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.
    15. Yu-Shan Chen & Ching-Hsun Chang & Yu-Hsien Lin, 2014. "The Determinants of Green Radical and Incremental Innovation Performance: Green Shared Vision, Green Absorptive Capacity, and Green Organizational Ambidexterity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(11), pages 1-20, November.
    16. Patrik Richnák & Klaudia Gubová, 2021. "Green and Reverse Logistics in Conditions of Sustainable Development in Enterprises in Slovakia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, January.
    17. Imane Bounadi & Khalil Allali & Aziz Fadlaoui & Mohammed Dehhaoui, 2022. "Can Environmental Regulation Drive the Environmental Technology Diffusion and Enhance Firms’ Environmental Performance in Developing Countries? Case of Olive Oil Industry in Morocco," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    18. Ines Suarez-Perales & Concepción Garces-Ayerbe & Pilar Rivera-Torres & Cristina Suarez-Galvez, 2017. "Is Strategic Proactivity a Driver of an Environmental Strategy? Effects of Innovation and Internationalization Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-13, October.
    19. Jialu Ma & Jeffrey Kuo, 2021. "Environmental self‐regulation for sustainable development: Can internal carbon pricing enhance financial performance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3517-3527, December.
    20. Pereira, Ángeles & Vence, Xavier, 2012. "Key business factors for eco-innovation: an overview of recent firm-level empirical studies," Cuadernos de Gestión, Universidad del País Vasco - Instituto de Economía Aplicada a la Empresa (IEAE).
    21. Kuen‐Hung Tsai & Yi‐Chuan Liao, 2017. "Innovation Capacity and the Implementation of Eco‐innovation: Toward a Contingency Perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 1000-1013, November.
    22. Peng Hou & Jifei Guo, 2023. "Exploring the Demand-Pull Effect on Green Innovation and Its Spatial Spillover Effects: Evidence from 261 Chinese Prefecture-Level Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-22, November.
    23. Elżbieta Sobczak & Dariusz Głuszczuk, 2022. "Diversification of Eco-Innovation and Innovation Activity of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the European Union Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, February.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities

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