Environmental Preferences and Technological Choices: Is Market Competition Clean or Dirty?
AER: Insights · 2023 · Philippe Aghion、Roland Bénabou、Ralf Martin、Alexandra Roulet
中文摘要
我们考察消费者的环境关切与市场竞争如何影响企业在“清洁”技术上的创新决策。个体关心自身的消费与环境足迹；企业则追求更绿色的产品以缓和价格竞争。二者作为互补力量，共同决定研发、污染与福利。我们利用来自25个国家、7060家汽车行业企业的专利面板数据、环境支付意愿以及竞争程度对该理论进行检验。正如理论所预测，暴露于亲社会态度促进了清洁创新，且在竞争激烈之处这一效应更为明显。两者同时出现可信的增长，其对清洁创新的推动作用可与一次大幅燃油价格上涨相媲美。（JEL D22, L62, O31, O34, Q52, Q53, Q54）
Abstract
We investigate the effects of consumers’ environmental concerns and market competition on firms’ decisions to innovate in “clean” technologies. Agents care about their consumption and environmental footprint; firms pursue greener products to soften price competition. Acting as complements, these forces determine R&D, pollution, and welfare. We test the theory using panel data on patents by 7,060 automobile sector firms in 25 countries, environmental willingness to pay, and competition. As predicted, exposure to prosocial attitudes fosters clean innovation, all the more so where competition is strong. Plausible increases in both together can spur it as much as a large fuel price increase. (JEL D22, L62, O31, O34, Q52, Q53, Q54)