Regional eco-innovation trajectories

authored by: Hendrik Hansmeier, Sebastian Losacker
Abstract: Given that eco-innovations and the associated renewal of regional economic structures are pivotal in addressing environmental challenges, regional research is increasingly focusing on their spatio-temporal dynamics. While green technological and industrial path developments in specific regions have received considerable attention, little effort has been made to derive general patterns of environmental inventive activities across regions. Drawing on unique data capturing both green incumbent and green start-up activities in the 401 German NUTS-3 regions over the period 1997–2018, this paper sheds light on how eco-innovation activities unfold in different regional contexts. For this purpose, we introduce sequence analysis methods into the research toolkit of research on regional development. These novel methods allow us to understand to what extent regions engage in eco-innovation activities, how these activities change over time and to what extent similar or unique eco-innovation trajectories (co)evolve. Based on this empirical approach, we distinguish different types of regional eco-innovation trajectories and find a strong persistence and path dependency in green regional development.
Organisation(s): Institute of Economic and Human Geography
External Organisation(s): Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Lund University
Type: Article
Journal: European planning studies
Volume: 32
Pages: 1401-1422
No. of pages: 22
ISSN: 0965-4313
Publication date: 2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Geography, Planning and Development
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 13 - Climate Action
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2024.2308027 (Access: Closed)