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Windfall gains or eco-innovation? ‘Green’ evolution in the Swedish innovation system

Author

Listed:
  • Max Rånge

    (University of Halmstad)

  • Mikael Sandberg

    (University of Halmstad)

Abstract

This paper therefore looks closer into climate gas emission and the shift to non-fossil energy in Sweden. What types of organizations are behind the shift to non-fossil energy use, what are the relative effects on emissions, to what extent can these interactive dynamics be considered eco-innovations? Do these effects vary between public and private organizations, and if so, can they be related to specific institutions and policies? Methods include statistical survival analyses, in particular Cox regression. These analyses inform us why energy sources shift. Results indicate that wood fuel and solid waste increase as sources of energy while fossil oil has decreased between 2003 and 2010. This result is in line with industrial and environmental policies of the Swedish governments that present these facts as institutionally and policy-related ‘green innovation’. However, our analysis contests such a conclusion and it is noticed that the shift to non-fossil sources of energy has not led to verifiable decreases in green-house gas emissions. Results instead suggest that ‘green’ innovation of non-fossil energy was mostly the effect of low-tech innovation in public organizations with no fundamental effect on CO2 emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Max Rånge & Mikael Sandberg, 2016. "Windfall gains or eco-innovation? ‘Green’ evolution in the Swedish innovation system," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 18(2), pages 229-246, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envpol:v:18:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s10018-015-0128-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10018-015-0128-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Fossil; Non-fossil; Energy; Sweden;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics

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