Environmental Regulation Stringency and Green Technological Innovation in the Maritime Industry (2006-2020)

Sammanfattning: The following research paper examines the impact of varying environmental regulation stringency on the landscape of green technological innovation in the maritime industry from 2006-2020. Additionally, the paper explores the potential indirect effect of these innovations, induced by stringency levels, on industry competitiveness. The research is grounded in a theoretical framework primarily drawing from institutional theory and Porter’s theory of competitive advantage. The analysis encompasses data from 22 countries across the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with the additional inclusion of countries such as China, Russia, and India. This wide-ranging dataset allows for a comprehensive examination of the relationships between stringency, innovation, and competitiveness in the maritime industry. This study adopts a quantitative approach, employing random-effects logistic regressions, random effects/fixed effects panel regressions and mediation analyses. Overall, this study finds that stringency does not seem to differentiate between the types of innovation. Moreover, this study concludes that stringency has a positive, significant relationship with the total number of green innovations, and there is a mediation effect present when examining the relationship between stringency and competitiveness.