Environmental Regulations, Green Technological Innovation, and Green Economy: Evidence from China

With the advancement of the green economy, the influence of the environmental regulations on green technological innovation and the green economy is increasingly expanding. This paper investigates the impact of the environmental regulations and corporate green technological innovation on the green economy. We hope to explore how the environmental regulations affect the green economy through corporate green innovation. Thus, the research aims to enhance our understanding of the impact of the environmental regulations on the green economy. By incorporating the fixed-effects models, mediation models, spatial models, and regression analysis, this paper unveils the impact process of the environmental regulations on the green economy. The research findings are as follows: (1) The environmental regulations show the direct capacity to facilitate the elevation of the green economy. (2) Through the mediating variable of corporate green technological innovation, the environmental regulations could indirectly enhance the green economy. (3) Significant spatial correlations exist between the environmental regulations and corporate green technological innovation activities across the different regions in China. (4) Substantial disparities are evident in the relationships among the environmental regulations, green technological innovation, and the green economy across the various regions in China. The findings presented in this paper serve to broaden the scope of research on the relationship between the environmental regulations and the green economy. Moreover, it offers essential insights for the relevant government authorities and businesses in formulating management policies.