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Environmental innovation and employment dynamics in different technology fields: An analysis based on the German community innovation survey 2009

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  • Horbach, Jens
  • Rennings, Klaus

Abstract

The employment effects of environmental technologies are in the focus of politicians but there are only few studies analyzing these effects for different environmental innovation fields. We use the 2009 wave of the German part of the Community Innovation Panel (CIS) allowing for such an analysis at the firm level. The main focus of the paper lies on the analysis of the adaptation behavior of firms with respect to the relationship of employment and (environmental) innovation. We use an endogenous switching regression approach to take the simultaneous haracter of innovation activities and employment demand into consideration. Our econometric analysis shows that innovative firms in general are characterized by a significantly more dynamic employment development. Especially the realization of environmental process innovations leads to a higher employment within the firm. The theoretical background of this finding is that process innovation induced cost savings improve the competitiveness of firms. This has a positive effect on demand and thus also increases employment. A more detailed analysis by different environmental innovation fields shows that material and energy savings are positively correlated to employment because they especially help to increase the profitability and competitiveness of the firm. On the other side, air and water process innovations that are still dominated by end-of-pipe technologies have a negative impact on the employment development.

Suggested Citation

  • Horbach, Jens & Rennings, Klaus, 2012. "Environmental innovation and employment dynamics in different technology fields: An analysis based on the German community innovation survey 2009," ZEW Discussion Papers 12-006, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:12006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Lucchesi & Matthew A. Cole & Robert J. R. Elliot & Naercio A. Menezes-Filho, 2016. "Determinants Of Environmental Innovation In Brazilian Manufacturing Industries," Anais do XLII Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 42nd Brazilian Economics Meeting] 143, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    2. George van Leeuwen & Pierre Mohnen, 2017. "Revisiting the Porter hypothesis: an empirical analysis of Green innovation for the Netherlands," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1-2), pages 63-77, February.
    3. Giulio Cainelli & Massimiliano Mazzanti & Roberto Zoboli, 2013. "Environmental performance, manufacturing sectors and firm growth: structural factors and dynamic relationships," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 15(4), pages 367-387, October.
    4. Massimiliano Mazzanti & Davide Antonioli & Francesco Nicolli & Marianna Gilli, 2013. "Information Technology, Environmental Innovations and Complementarity Strategies," Working Papers 2013132, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.
    5. Davide Antonioli & Simone Borghesi & Massimiliano Mazzanti, 2014. "Are Regional Systems Greening the Economy? the Role of Environmental Innovations and Agglomeration Forces," Working Papers 2014.42, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employment; Environmental Innovation; Innovation Behaviour;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • J49 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Other
    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities

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