Research on the Group Paths of Green Technology Innovation in China

Authors

  • Jingyu Tian
  • Ronghao Zhong

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/1f2hnx32

Keywords:

Green Technology Innovation, TOE, fsQCA, Configurational Theory.

Abstract

In the context of global warming, the pursuit of an ecological economy has intensified, with Green Technological Innovation (GTI) playing a pivotal role. However, most existing studies tend to focus on the impact of individual technological or environmental regulatory factors on GTI, often overlooking the synergistic effects of multidimensional factors. Based on the TOE theoretical framework, we used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to deal with the data of relevant indicators of Chinese provinces in 2022, analyzed the conditional groupings of high green technological innovation levels from the grouping perspective and came up with the following results: (1) There are five types of groupings to achieve high GTI including technology-government-talent joint-driven, technology integration-led, technology innovation-economic structure double-driven, technology-economy double-driven and government-talent double-driven. (2) Technology Application Capability, University Research Capacity and Talent Reservation are necessary conditions to constitute a high GTI level. The results of the study show the technological, organizational and environmental factors driving high GTI, with a view to providing China and even worldwide countries with locally unique paths to improve GTI.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Braun, E., Wield, D. Regulation as a means for the social control of technology [J]. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management,1994,6(3):259–272.

[2] Fan, X., Ren, S., Liu, Y. The Driving Factors of Green Technology Innovation Efficiency—A Study Based on the Dynamic QCA Method [J]. Sustainability, 2023, 15(12): 9845.

[3] Wang Junhao, Xie Qianying, Shi Dan. Research on the Impact of Green Technology Innovation on Energy Efficiency [J]. Finance & Trade Economics,2024,45(06):143-159.

[4] Lafuente, E., Vaillant, Y. Greater co-innovation and innovation efficiency through greening [J]. Journal of Cleaner Production,2023,428:139516.

[5] XU Jia, Cui Jing-bo. Low-Carbon Cities and Firms' Green Technological Innovation [J]. China Industrial Economics, 2020,(12):178-196.

[6] Alshammari, K. H., Alshammari, A. F. Green Innovation and Its Effects on Innovation Climate and Environmental Sustainability: The Moderating Influence of Green Abilities and Strategies [J]. Sustainability, 2023,15(22): 15898.

[7] Liu Lifang. Literature Review on Green Technology Innovation and Enterprise Performance [J]. Modern Management, 2025,15(1): 298-310.

[8] Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, Rebecca Henderson. Geographic Localization of Knowledge Spillovers as Evidenced by Patent Citations [J]. The Quarterly Journal of Economics,1993, 108(3): 577-598.

[9] Udeagha M C, Muchapondwa E. Environmental sustainability in South Africa: Understanding the criticality of economic policy uncertainty, fiscal decentralization, and green innovation[J]. Sustainable Development, 2023,31(3): 1638-1651.

[10] Xu Junhai, Huang Yongchun. Can the Accumulation of Scientific and Technological Talents Promote Regional Green Development [J]. Modern Economic Research, 2021, (12): 116-125.

[11] Liu B, Wang J, Li R Y M, et al. Achieving carbon neutrality–the role of heterogeneous environmental regulations on urban green innovation[J]. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution,2022,10:923354.

[12] Wang C, Liu Y, Liu X, et al. How does the digital economy impact green manufacturing: A new perspective from the construction of a unified large market in China[J]. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2024,11(1):1-13.

[13] Long C, Zhang X. Patterns of China's industrialization: Concentration, specialization, and clustering[J]. China Economic Review, 2012, 23(3): 593-612.

[14] Sun Bowenabc, Yang Xiaofeia. The Regional Collaborative Path for Green and Low-Carbon Technological Innovation: Based on the Technology Supply-Demand Interaction Mechanism Neo-Schumpeterian Innovation Theory [J]. Journal of Environmental Economics,2024,9(02):63-90.

[15] Schultz F C, Czyrnik V, Pies I. Is there a case for or against patents to incentivize green technologies?: A critical evaluation of innovation incentives for the global north and global south [C]. Sustainability Nexus Forum. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2024, 32(1):1-9.

[16] DU Baogui, ZHANG Pengju. On the Policy Effect of Scientific and Technological Achievements Transformation: From the Analytic Perspective of Per Capita Turnover of the Export Technology Market Contract [J]. Journal of Liaoning University (Philosophy and Social Science),2020,48(03):82-93+185.

[17] Liu Dan, Bao Hanke, Huangfu Luyao. The Impact of Multi-Factor Linkage on Green Technology Innovation in Mixed-Ownership Reform of State-Owned Enterprises [J]. Finance and Accounting Monthly, 2024,45(24):34-41.

[18] Zhang Mo, Lin Yan, Zhang Zhonghao. Relationship between R&D investment, R&D Output and Technical Market Vitality——Empirical Analysis Based on China's Provincial Panel Data [J]. Science & Technology Progress and Policy,2015,32(20):27-31.

[19] LI Dong-mei, Sun Jia-min. Fiscal Devolution, Local Government Innovation Preference and Regional Innovation Ability [J]. Journal of Hubei University of Economics,2024,22(02):32-39+127.

[20] Wang Qian, Xue Chujiang, Xie Fuji. Heterogeneous Talent Policies and Regional Competitiveness: A System Dynamics Approach[J]. Science & Technology Progress and Policy,2025:1-12.

[21] Kan Chen. Effects of Market Segmentation on the Total Factor Productivity of Enterprises: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises [J]. Accounting and Finance,2024,39(05):49-56.

[22] Wang Xue, Song Hongyu. Artificial Intelligence Development, Industrial Structure Upgrading, and Green Consumption: Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Evidence [J]. Journal of Commercial Economics, 2025, (02):58-61.

[23] JIA Chun-xiang. The path to upgrade the ability of Science and Technology Innovation of Inner Mongolia——Based on the study of "The Evaluation Capability Report 2015 of Chinese Regional Innovation" [J]. Scientific Management Research,2017,35(03):75-78.

[24] Zhu F, Lai L, Zhu Z, et al. A study on the path of improving the performance of China’s provincial circular economy—An empirical study based on the fsQCA method[J]. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2022, 10: 1006170.

[25] Raign, Charles C.. Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond[M]. University of Chicago Press, 2008.

[26] Schneider CQ, Wagemann C. Set-theoretic methods for the social sciences: A guide to qualitative comparative analysis[M]. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

[27] Thiem A, Dusa A. Qualitative comparative analysis with R: A user’s guide[M]. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012.

[28] Tornatzky L G, Fleischer M, Chakrabarti A K. The processes of technological innovation[J]. Technology Transfer, 1991, (16): 45–46.

Downloads

Published

29-04-2025

How to Cite

Tian, J., & Zhong, R. (2025). Research on the Group Paths of Green Technology Innovation in China. Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, 54, 369-378. https://doi.org/10.54097/1f2hnx32