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Specificities of environmental innovation dynamics in service firms: the French case

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the determinants of environmental innovation in service activities, as well as regulatory dimension and its influence on the environmental performance of service activities. An econometric model is built using the “Community Innovation Survey 2008” (CIS 2008). Results show that environmental innovations in services are integrated into both technological and non-technological innovations. The specificities of eco-innovation in service activities compared to manufacturing firms leads to eco-innovation the environmental benefit of which occurs during final consumption of the product rather than during the production process. If cost reduction is a main determinant for all sectors, the role of regulation differs according to the sector: strong for trade and transport, the influence of regulation is minor for the others service sectors.

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Notes

  1. “Due to the externality problem of eco-innovations, the traditional discussion of innovation economists has to be extended to the influence of the regulatory framework. In the following, this peculiarity of eco-innovations will be called the regulatory push / pull-effect.[…] Because factors of technology push and market pull alone do not seem to be strong enough, eco-innovations need specific regulatory support”(Rennings 2000, p. 326).

  2. Informations sources are incoming information flows from different actors. It differs from cooperation sources that result from a cooperation process involving two actors voluntary willing to share information in order to innovate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clerse (UMR 8019), University of Lille, Cité Scientifique, 59650, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

    Céline Merlin-Brogniart & Simon Nadel

  2. Faculté des Sciences économiques et sociales, Université de Lille - Cité Scientifique, 59655, Villeneuve d’Ascq cedex, France

    Céline Merlin-Brogniart & Simon Nadel

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  1. Céline Merlin-Brogniart
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Table 4 Descriptive statistics (in %) and description of variables
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Merlin-Brogniart, C., Nadel, S. Specificities of environmental innovation dynamics in service firms: the French case. J Evol Econ 31, 451–473 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00191-020-00707-2

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