Stimulating the diffusion of environmental technologies through export

Stimulating the diffusion of environmental technologies through export
Author: Wisdom Kanda
Publisher: Linköping University Electronic Press
Total Pages: 117
Release: 2017-08-31
Genre:
ISBN: 9176854957

Contemporary environmental problems represent complex societal challenges, and as these problems become increasingly global, the international diffusion of environmental technologies is essential. One way to diffuse technologies internationally is through export. Despite the potential benefits from the adoption of environmental technologies, their export is stifled by externalities and free-rider problems. From this background, the aim of this thesis is to analyse how to stimulate the diffusion of environmental technologies through export. This aim is operationalised using four research questions, which focus on governmental initiatives to promote environmental technology export and their perceived effectiveness among targeted firms, obstacles to and drivers for export among municipally owned companies, the use of international city networks to facilitate environmental technology export and components of business concepts for environmental technology export. These questions are explored in the Swedish context using document analyses, interviews and internet surveys in a compilation thesis which consists of a cover essay and an appendix of five scientifically peer-reviewed and published journal articles. The conclusions are that governmental export promotion initiatives are often generic for all kinds of exporters, including environmental technologies, and comprise financial support, information provision, education and training, and trade and mobility-related programs, often with little incorporation of the specific characteristics of environmental technologies which many exporters perceive as ineffective. Municipally owned companies experience different barriers to and drivers for engaging in international activities compared to privately owned companies, and are often involved in international projects which are not always commercial export. International city networks serve as important arenas for bi-directional information sharing and learning regarding market characteristics, environmental challenges and potential solutions, building legitimacy for technologies and their suppliers. Regarding components of business concepts for the export of environmental technologies, regulation, legitimacy and private-public partnership are identified as particularly important based on the complexity and systemic nature of environmental technologies. Altogether, this thesis makes a contribution by conceptualising the export of environmental technologies with emphasis on technology characteristics, the technology supplier including their business concepts, obstacles to and drivers for export, technology adopters and their characterisation, communication channels and the diffusion context. For policy makers, a dynamic approach to environmental technology export promotion, in which specific attributes of environmental technologies and their suppliers are considered along their international business development, is suggested as a complement to existing generic initiatives. The possibility to provide such support should be reconciled with resource effectiveness, heterogeneity among companies and the complementary role of governmental interventions to market initiatives. Finally, partnerships between publicly and privately owned companies are suggested as particularly relevant since they build on the long-term experience, functioning proof-of-concept and legitimacy of publicly owned companies together with the competitiveness and flexibility of privately owned companies. These attributes could help overcome the liabilities of foreignness and newness, as well as resource constraints which challenge environmental technology export.

Accelerating Environmental Technology Implementation

Accelerating Environmental Technology Implementation
Author: Environmental Technology Evaluation Center (U.S.)
Publisher: ASCE Publications
Total Pages: 132
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780784474334

Prepared by the Environmental Technology Evaluation Center (EvTEC), a CERF Service Center. This report presents the findings from a June 1997 Environmental Technology Needs Survey conducted by EvTEC. The survey was developed to help EvTEC gain a better understanding of present practices and procedures in evaluating new products and determine how EvTEC could best respond to the needs of all stakeholders in the environmental community. The survey contained general information questions as well as specialized questions for three groups: users and regulators of environmental products; entrepreneurs who invent, develop, or market new technologies and products; and research institutes and testing labs that carry out product and technology evaluations.

Environmental Technology Development in Liberal and Coordinated Market Economies

Environmental Technology Development in Liberal and Coordinated Market Economies
Author: S. Wong
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2006-11-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0312376189

This book explores the role of institutions in policy-making and the states, role in promotion of technology, focusing on, environmental technology development. Case studies include wind power diffusion in the UK and Germany, waste recycling in a variety of countries, and green automobile technology in the US and Japan.