Subnational institutions, firm capabilities and eco-innovation

Abstract We examine the role institutional pressures, at the subnational level, play in the generation of eco-innovations and explicitly consider how they interact with firms’ heterogeneous capabilities and ownership characteristics. Theoretically, we combine elements from institutional theory with the resource-based view of the firm to develop our hypotheses. Empirically, we use a novel dataset over the period 2003–2013 compiled from several sources: (I) environmental regulations (city-level) from the China Environmental Statistical Yearbooks and City Statistical Yearbooks; (II) green patents (firm-level) from the China National Intellectual Property Administration; and (III) ownership (firm-level) from the National Bureau of Statistics. Our econometric analysis employs an instrumental variable (IV) approach that controls for endogeneity and a negative binomial multilevel methodology for robustness. The results show that institutional pressures associated with environmental regulations, implemented at city level, lead to more green patents produced by firms in these jurisdictions. Crucially, the effectiveness of environmental regulation is enhanced when firms invest more in their internal technological capabilities. Finally, we find that a firm’s affiliation with a business group enhances the positive effects of regulations in terms of the production of eco-innovations.