Industrial Economics and International Management
SEEK-Project 2010: Climate-Related Innovations, Crowding Out, and Their Impacts on Competitiveness
Within
the last few decades, rising environmental concerns, in particular concerns on
the problem of anthropogenic climate change, have forced policy makers to act
in order to mitigate future damage. Nevertheless, the latest Conference on
climate change in Copenhagen is widely considered to be a disappointment since
participants failed to agree on binding emission reduction targets. Against
this background, investing
in further research and development (R&D) with the aim to find cleaner
production technologies is seen by many as the only option to tackle increasing
problems which arise due to global climate change and environmental burdens,
and, simultaneously, maintaining economic
growth and competitiveness. Having a deep understanding of the driving forces
of both the generation of environmentally related innovations and, maybe even
more important, the adoption of such innovations is of large importance for
economic policy to promote such innovations. To provide this deep understanding
was one central objective of the present contribution to the SEEK project.At
least of the same importance was that environmentally related innovations, for
instance promoted by environmental policy, do not come at the expense of other
productive innovations. Needless to say, innovation in general is a crucial
driver, or even the most important factor, for economic growth and
competitiveness. Without any doubts, a crowding out of conventionally
innovation due to policy induced environmental innovations could be a considerable
barrier to competitiveness and economic growth. Also these aspects of
environmental innovations were analysed in this contribution to the SEEK
project.The
central research questions were studied using micro-econometric approaches
and Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data. This was done in cooperation
with Professor Reinhilde Veugelers from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
Professor Veugeler has extensive
experience in working with this database and on doing research on innovations
and related topics.
The research programme "Strengthening Efficiency and Competitiveness in the European Knowledge Economies (SEEK)" was funded by the State of Baden-Württemberg.
Additional information regarding the SEEK research programme.
Duration: 01.11.2010 - 31.03.2012
- Annelies Wastyn, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Faculty of Business and Economics, Leuven, BE
- Hanna Hottenrott, Ph.D., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Faculty of Business and Economics and ZEW, Leuven, BE
- Prof. Reinhilde Veugelers, Ph.D., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Department of Managerial Economics, Strategy and Innovation, Faculty of Business and Economics, Leuven, BE
