Conditions Driving Low-Carbon Innovation in a Medium-Sized European Country That Is Catching Up–Case Study of Poland

Studies on the determinants of low-carbon innovations in developed countries already exist. We test here the institutional environment in Poland (science–government–enterprise) as supporters of the technological change in industry towards a low-carbon economy. We will examine as well whether conclusions for well-developed countries are relevant for those catching up. The aim of the article is to assess the systemic nature and durability of the impact of internal and external conditions on the implementation of low-carbon technologies in Polish industry. In order to achieve the goal, two surveys were carried out for the periods 2007–2012 and 2013–2018, on sample sizes of 11,493 enterprises. To verify the hypotheses, a statistical multi–factor logit modelling was used to determine the chances of low-carbon innovations under the influence of various parallel circumstances. The results of this research point to other, often abrupt (unstable) phenomena occurring in the catching-up economy, which are the consequence of a long-term technological gap. The case of Poland shows the lack of cooperation between science, enterprises and the government in stimulating the development of low-carbon technologies, although enterprises do try to implement such technologies on their own in the absence of any external cooperation. Without Research and Development (R&D) support and government subsidies, the attempt to implement low-carbon technology fails. Thus, the institutional framework should distinguish between catching-up and developed countries due to the gaps in technological knowledge, cooperation and institutional barriers.