Green research cooperation for green export competitiveness: the moderating effects of environmental policies, economic complexity and civil society
Author(s)
Date Issued
2025
Type
article
Abstract
The article aims to investigate How green research cooperation can contribute to the ecological transition by improving green export competitiveness through interactions with green policy interventions, as well as the complexity of the production system and civil society. To this end, we apply the technology gap model of international trade to estimate a two-equation econometric model for 21 European countries in the period 2003–2016, according to the data availability. The focus variable is represented by the number of green collaborations within the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation promoted by the European Commission. The results show that these European collaborations positively increase the country's green export shares, thanks to their complementarity with environmental regulations and the level of economic complexity. Moreover, findings highlight the notable contribution of the private non-profit sector in enhancing green export competitiveness, acting both independently and interacting with green research cooperation, despite its relatively small share in the total R&D expenditure. Therefore, this empirical evidence points out that green export competitiveness can be the product of multifaceted cooperation across countries and sectors (public, private profit and non-profit sector).