The Pitfalls of Green Deals: Introduction and Synthesis

Magnus Henrekson, Christian Sandström () and Mikael Stenkula ()
Additional contact information
Christian Sandström: Linneaus University, Växjö, Sweden
Mikael Stenkula: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Postal: Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden, https://www.ifn.se/en/researchers/ifn-researcher/mikael-stenkula/

No 1553, Working Paper Series from Research Institute of Industrial Economics

Abstract: Green Deals have been introduced across Western economies as large-scale, mission-oriented innovation policies (MOIPs) intended to combine economic growth with environmental sustainability. Rooted in the concept of an “entrepreneurial state,” these initiatives reflect renewed confidence in governments’ ability to direct technological and industrial transformation. However, their outcomes have frequently diverged from expectations. This volume examines the theoretical foundations and empirical results of Green Deals, highlighting the institutional, economic, and behavioral factors that contribute to their shortcomings. Drawing on perspectives from evolutionary economics, public choice theory, and behavioral political economy, the contributors analyze a wide range of cases, including Germany’s Energiewende, Italy’s Superbonus, and the European Union’s hydrogen and battery programs. Across these examples, recurring challenges such as rent-seeking, mission capture, optimism bias, and distorted incentives are identified. The findings indicate that while Green Deals have advanced ambitious sustainability goals, they often undermine competitiveness and fiscal stability while generating limited environmental benefits. The volume concludes by outlining alternative pathways that emphasize incremental, technology-neutral, and institutionally grounded approaches to sustainability—approaches that align more closely with long-term economic resilience and effective environmental policy.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship policy; Green deals; Green transition; Innovation policy; Moonshot policies; Public choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H50 L26 L52 O33 O38 P16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2026-02-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-sbm
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.ifn.se/wfiles/wp/wp1553.pdf Full text (application/pdf)

Related works:
Chapter: The Pitfalls of Green Deals: Introduction and Synthesis (2026)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1553

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Paper Series from Research Institute of Industrial Economics Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Elisabeth Gustafsson ().