Institutional Pressure and Eco-innovation: The Moderating Role of Environmental Uncertainty

Dongyun Zhu, Hailun Zhu, Vincent Ekow Arkorful*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The growing environmental difficulties triggered by enterprises’ activities have drawn academics and development experts’ attention to mechanisms to advance growth and development without compromising the environment. Discussions about eco-innovation have become topical as a result, yet there still remains a dearth of understanding on the subject. Eco-innovation emphasises the duality of technological innovation and environmental protection as long-term solutions to the inherent tensions between these goals. Despite this, there has been little research on methods to improve eco-innovation performance, taking into account internal and external factors. Cognizant of the external environment’s dynamics, this study, based on institutional theory, investigates how institutional pressure affects eco-innovation. We used a cross-sectional survey approach to draw data from 155 businesses. Results revealed institutional pressures, that is, normative, mimetic, and coercive, also environmental complexity (EC) has a positive role in promoting eco-innovation. While environmental dynamics was found to have a positive moderating effect on the relationship between normative pressure and eco-innovation, EC was revealed to have a moderating influence on the relationship between mimetic, normative pressure, and eco-innovation. In light of these seminal findings that have received little research attention, we propose policy, theoretical, and practical implications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)160-182
Number of pages23
JournalScience, Technology and Society
Volume29
Issue number1
Early online date22 Oct 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

User-Defined Keywords

  • eco-innovation
  • environmental dynamics
  • environmental uncertainty
  • Institutional pressure

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