Abstract
Environmental innovation is receiving increasing attention from scholars and policymakers as a key driver in the development of a greener and more competitive economy. First, the similarity of environmental issues across regions makes green technologies and solutions highly scalable by stimulating regions to support a more effective environment-related invention process within and beyond the region. Second, the complex and multidisciplinary nature of environmental innovations encourages regions to promote collaboration networks in order to boost recombinant opportunities. From this perspective, the chapter explores the effects of green invention and green collaboration on regional competitiveness. The focal idea is that green inventions can increase the efficiency and competitiveness of local firms, while green collaboration can make both the production and application processes faster, with positive effects in terms of regional development and growth. The study is based on a longitudinal analysis of 232 European regions over the period from 2000 to 2013. Data are organised by merging OECD RegPat, Cambridge Econometrics and Eurostat databases. Our main results confirm the positive influence of green invention intensity, as well as intraregional green collaboration, on growth in regional competitiveness, with significant implications for policymakers.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The OECD REGPAT database presents patent data that have been linked to regions according to the addresses of the applicants and inventors. The data have been ‘regionalised’ at a very detailed level so that more than 2000 regions are covered across OECD countries.
- 2.
Regional Patent Data provided by OECD RegPat were updated at the end of 2011.
- 3.
Reg_share and Inv_share are directly provided by the RegPat database. Reg_share is less than 1 if the inventor has multiple address registrations due to the mobility across regions. Inv_share is less than 1 when the patent is co-invented. If a patent application has more than one inventor, it is equally fractionalized based on the number of inventors.
- 4.
R is an open source software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
References
Andersen, M. (1999). Trajectory change through interorganisational learning on the economic organisation of the greening of industry. Ph.D. thesis. Copenhagen Business School, Ph.D. series, Copenhagen.
Andersen, M. (2002). Organizing interfirm learning as the Market Begins to Turn Green. In. In T. de Bruijn & A. E. Tukker (Eds.), Partnership and leadership: Building alliances for a sustainable future (pp. 103–119). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Andersen, M. M., & Foxon, T. J. (2009). The greening of innovation systems for eco-innovation-towards an evolutionary climate mitigation policy. In DRUID Summer Conference 2009. Copenhagen: DRUID Society.
Antonioli, D., Borghesi, S., & Mazzanti, M. (2016). Are regional systems greening the economy? Local spillovers, green innovations and firms’ economic performances. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 25(7), 692–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2015.1127557
Apa, R., De Noni, I., Orsi, L., & Sedita, S. R. (2018). Knowledge space oddity: How to increase the intensity and relevance of the technological progress of European regions. Research Policy, 47(9), 1700–1712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.06.002
Bathelt, H., Malmberg, A., & Maskell, P. (2004). Clusters and knowledge: Local buzz, global pipelines and the process of knowledge creation. Progress in Human Geography, 28(1), 31–56. https://doi.org/10.1191/0309132504ph469oa
Beise, M., & Rennings, K. (2005). Lead markets and regulation: A framework for analyzing the international diffusion of environmental innovations. Ecological Economics, 52(1), 5–17.
Boschma, R. (2005). Proximity and innovation: A critical assessment. Regional Studies, 39(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340052000320887
Cainelli, G., De Marchi, V., & Grandinetti, R. (2015). Does the development of environmental innovation require different resources? Evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 94, 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.02.008
Cainelli, G., Mazzanti, M., & Zoboli, R. (2013). Environmental performance, manufacturing sectors and firm growth: Structural factors and dynamic relationships. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 15(4), 367–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-013-0064-8
Castaldi, C., Frenken, K., & Los, B. (2015). Related variety, unrelated variety and technological breakthroughs: An analysis of US state-level patenting. Regional Studies, 49(5), 767–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.940305
Chaminade, C., & Plechero, M. (2015). Do regions make a difference? Regional innovation systems and global innovation networks in the ICT industry. European Planning Studies, 23(2), 215–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.861806
Coenen, L., Moodysson, J., & Martin, H. (2015). Path renewal in old industrial regions: Possibilities and limitations for regional innovation policy. Regional Studies, 49(5), 850–865. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.979321
Cooke, P. (2008). Regional innovation systems, clean technology & Jacobian cluster-platform policies. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 1(1), 23–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-7802.2008.00002.x
De Marchi, V. (2012). Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: Empirical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Research Policy, 41(3), 614–623.
De Noni, I., Ganzaroli, A., & Orsi, L. (2017). The impact of intra- and inter-regional knowledge collaboration and technological variety on the knowledge productivity of European regions. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 117, 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.01.003
De Noni, I., Orsi, L., & Belussi, F. (2018). The role of collaborative networks in supporting the innovation performances of lagging-behind European regions. Research Policy, 47(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.09.006
Dettori, B., Marrocu, E., & Paci, R. (2012). Total factor productivity, intangible assets and spatial dependence in the European regions. Regional Studies, 46(10), 1401–1416. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2010.529288
Dijkstra, L., Garcilazo, E., & McCann, P. (2013). The economic performance of European cities and city regions: Myths and realities. European Planning Studies, 21(3), 334–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2012.716245
Dornbusch, F., & Neuhäusler, P. (2015). Composition of inventor teams and technological progress—The role of collaboration between academia and industry. Research Policy, 44(7), 1360–1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2015.04.003
Fabrizi, A., Guarini, G., & Meliciani, V. (2018). Green patents, regulatory policies and research network policies. Research Policy, 47(6), 1018–1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.03.005
Frenken, K., Van Oort, F., & Verburg, T. (2007). Related variety, unrelated variety and regional economic growth. Regional Studies, 41(5), 685–697. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400601120296
Ganzaroli, A., De Noni, I., Orsi, L., & Belussi, F. (2016). The combined effect of technological relatedness and knowledge utilization on explorative and exploitative invention performance post-M & A. European Journal of Innovation Management, 19(2), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-08-2014-0092
Gertler, M. S., & Levitte, Y. M. (2005). Local nodes in global networks: The geography of knowledge flows in biotechnology innovation. Industry and Innovation, 12(4), 487–507. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662710500361981
Ghisetti, C., & Quatraro, F. (2017). Green technologies and environmental productivity: A cross-sectoral analysis of direct and indirect effects in Italian regions. Ecological Economics, 132, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.10.003
Ghisetti, C., & Rennings, K. (2014). Environmental innovations and profitability: How does it pay to be green? An empirical analysis on the German innovation survey. Journal of Cleaner Production, 75, 106–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.03.097
Gilsing, V., Nooteboom, B., Vanhaverbeke, W., Duysters, G., & van den Oord, A. (2008). Network embeddedness and the exploration of novel technologies: Technological distance, betweenness centrality and density. Research Policy, 37(10), 1717–1731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2008.08.010
Hall, B. H., & Helmers, C. (2013). Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help? Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 66(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2012.12.008
Haščič, I., & Migotto, M. (2015). Measuring environmental innovation using patent data, OECD environment working papers, no. 89. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/5js009kf48xw-en
Hottenrott, H., Rexhäuser, S., & Veugelers, R. (2016). Organisational change and the productivity effects of green technology adoption. Resource and Energy Economics, 43, 172–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2016.01.004
Kemp, R. (2010). Eco-Innovation: Definition, measurement and open research issues. Economia politica, 27(3), 397–420.
Jaffe, A., Newell, R., & Stavins, R. (2005). A tale of two market failures: Technology and environmental policy. Ecological Economics, 54, 164–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.12.027
Lee, S. Y., Florida, R., & Gates, G. (2010). Innovation, human capital, and diversity. International Review of Public Administration, 14(3), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2010.10805158
Liquete, C., Kleeschulte, S., Dige, G., Maes, J., Grizzetti, B., Olah, B., & Zulian, G. (2015). Mapping green infrastructure based on ecosystem services and ecological networks: A Pan-European case study. Environmental Science & Policy, 54, 268–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.07.009
Liu, X., Vedlitz, A., & Shi, L. (2014). Examining the determinants of public environmental concern: Evidence from national public surveys. Environmental Science & Policy, 39, 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2014.02.006
Lubango, L. M. (2020). Effects of international co-inventor networks on green inventions in Brazil, India and South Africa. Journal of Cleaner Production, 244, 118791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118791
Makri, M., Hitt, M. A., & Lane, P. J. (2010). Complementary technologies, knowledge relatedness, and invention outcomes in high technology mergers and acquisitions. Strategic Management Journal, 31(6), 602–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.829
Mameli, F., Iammarino, S., & Boschma, R. (2012). Regional variety and employment growth in Italian labour market areas: Services versus manufacturing industries. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, 12, 1–23.
Melander, L. (2017). Achieving sustainable development by collaborating in green product innovation. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(8), 1095–1109. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1970
Nooteboom, B. (2000). Learning by interaction: Absorptive capacity, cognitive distance and governance. Journal of Management and Governance, 4(1-2), 69–92.
O’Brien, R. M. (2007). A caution regarding rules of thumb for variance inflation factors. Quality and Quantity, 41(5), 673–690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-006-9018-6
Orsatti, G., Quatraro, F., & Pezzoni, M. (2020). The antecedents of green technologies: The role of team-level recombinant capabilities. Research Policy, 49(3), 103919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.103919
Paci, R., & Marrocu, E. (2013). Knowledge assets and regional performance. Growth and Change, 44(2), 228–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12010
Pujari, D. (2006). Eco-innovation and new product development: Understanding the influences on market performance. Technovation, 26(1), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2004.07.006
Quatraro, F., & Scandura, A. (2019). Academic inventors and the antecedents of green technologies. A regional analysis of Italian patent data. Ecological Economics, 156, 247–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.10.007
Rennings, K. (2000). Redefining innovation—Eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics. Ecological Economics, 32(2), 319–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(99)00112-3
Roscoe, S., Cousins, P. D., & Lamming, R. C. (2016). Developing eco-innovations: A three-stage typology of supply networks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 1948–1959.
Santoalha, A., & Boschma, R. (2019). Diversifying in green technologies in European regions: Does political support matter? (No 1922). Utrecht: Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography.
Sun, Y. (2016). The structure and dynamics of intra-and inter-regional research collaborative networks: The case of China (1985–2008). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 108, 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.04.017
Sun, Y., & Cao, C. (2015). Intra-and inter-regional research collaboration across organizational boundaries: Evolving patterns in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 96, 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.03.013
Tödtling, F., Trippl, M., & Frangenheim, A. (2019). Policy options for green regional development: Applying a production and application perspective. Papers in Economic Geography and Innovation, Studies, 1–27.
Zeger, S. L., & Liang, K. Y. (1986). Longitudinal data analysis for discrete and continuous outcomes. Biometrics, 121–130. https://doi.org/10.2307/2531248
Zeppini, P., & van den Bergh, J. C. (2011). Competing recombinant technologies for environmental innovation: extending Arthur’s model of lock-in. Industry and Innovation, 18(03), 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2011.561031
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
De Noni, I., Ganzaroli, A., Orsi, L. (2021). Green Invention as Leverage for Economic Growth in Locally Collaborative European Regions. In: Sedita, S.R., Blasi, S. (eds) Rethinking Clusters. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61923-7_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61923-7_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-61922-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-61923-7
eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)