Enterprise Green Innovation Mechanism under the “Target-Resource-Network” System—An Empirical Study Based on Data of Listed Companies in China’s Construction Industry

Songchuan Chen, Jinhang Wang () and Zhiwei Zhang
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Songchuan Chen: School of Urban Economics and Management, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Jinhang Wang: School of Urban Economics and Management, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
Zhiwei Zhang: School of Humanities, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Using the data of Chinese A-share listed companies in the construction industry from 2010 to 2021, this paper conducts an empirical analysis of the green innovation mechanism of firms under the system formed by target-level elements, resource-level elements, and network-level elements. By using a fixed-effect model, coupling mechanism analysis and heterogeneity testing, we find that: (1) Government environmental targets and enterprise environmental targets as the target-level elements simultaneously promote enterprise green innovation, and there is a lag in this promotion effect. The mechanism analysis shows that the target-level elements will promote green innovation through government subsidies and enterprise R&D resources as the resource-level elements, while the political networks and the enterprise networks as the network-level elements can optimize the allocation of resources and promote innovation. (2) On the basis of a “target-resource-network” coupling coordination mechanism, the study reveals that the Chinese construction enterprises are currently slightly dysfunctional when it comes to the coupling of environmental targets, resource input, and relationship networks, which leads to a low level of green innovation in the construction industry as a whole. (3) Based on heterogeneity analysis, it is found that the internal characteristics of enterprises, regional differences, and policy changes all affect the relationship between the government’s environmental targets, enterprises’ environmental targets, and enterprises’ green innovation.

Keywords: environmental targets; R&D resources; relationship networks; green innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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