This paper presents novel empirical evidence on the internationalization of green R&D by multinational firms (MNCs), as measured by patents data. Using data on inventors’ addresses for the set of 1200 MNCs firms patenting in green technologies over the 2004–2009 period, it was found that about 17% of green patents result from MNCs R&D investments conducted outside their home countries. MNCs tend to locate their foreign green R&D activities in other OECD markets and in China, in particular in lightings and solar technologies. The empirical analysis reveals that the probability of conducting green R&D abroad increases with the host country’s stringency of environmental regulation, market size and (green) R&D intensity. Also, relatively lower wages for scientists and engineers, and stronger protection for intellectual property rights in the host country increase the likelihood for MNCs to offshore green R&D. The paper concludes by discussing the policy implications of this changing global innovation landscape.
Renewable energy deployment remains an important issue. Generation of electricity and heat from renewable energy (RE) sources reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, provides energy access in remote areas, and diversifies fossil-fuel reliant energy supply, increasing energy security. As such RE deployment creates environmental and social value. Increasingly, RE deployment also contributes to employment and the emergence of an economic sector which is participating in global competition. The question for decision makers in industrialized countries as well as in emerging economies and developing countries is: How can economic value be generated from RE and how can this process be supported by value enabling policies? This study is set out to offer/develop an analytic framework oriented toward identifying opportunities for value creation along the entire RE value chain; to identify and define RE value creation policies and discuss possibilities for strategic policy interventions to enhance RE value creation; and to deepen the analysis with lessons learnt from the development of RE and other sectors.
This article looks at how China has moved forward in embracing green technology development, the government’s role in that growth and whether its support is truly harmful on a global scale. It highlights key laws in the United States and the WTO involving trade - specifically subsidies, countervailing duties and anti-dumping regulations. An examination of recent trade cases involving the United States and China is followed by an analysis of America’s recent trade-oriented actions and legislation. Lastly, this article considers the legal implications of recent trade developments between these countries as well as policy implications, including the effect on the green and renewables industry.
Building on the case study of the shea butter supply chain in Burkina Faso, this article proposes an original approach consisting of improved energy use for a more competitive and sustainable activity. The traditional butter production process consumes a great deal of energy from firewood and generates a lot of organic waste that could be used as an energy source. We examined the feasibility of using alternative energy techniques that could be taken on board as they are simple and designed from local resources, whilst using by-products from the shea butter production chain as biofuels to partially replace firewood. The study shows that using alternative energy techniques, taken one by one or combined, can lead to lower energy use and thereby increase women's incomes, whilst helping to conserve forests.
