Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Economic Studies

Publication Date

1-3-2024

Abstract

Purpose This study tests whether environmental awareness affects firm creation by using Google Trends data and a novel region-level data set from Italy. Design/methodology/approach Forward-looking entrepreneurs drive firm creation. The authors hypothesize that more environmentally conscious entrepreneurs will emerge as environmental awareness rises, increasing the number of green and energy firms. The authors test the prediction using Google Trends data and a novel region-level data set from Italy. Findings The authors find that not only the number of green and energy-innovative firms but also that of all innovative start-ups increases with rising environmental consciousness. The results imply some “innovation spillover” effects from green sectors to other industries with rising environmental awareness. Originality/value The paper hypothesizes that as environmental awareness rises, more environmental-conscious entrepreneurs will emerge, which would increase the number of green and energy firms. Robustness and falsification tests are also offered.

ISSN

0144-7387

Publisher

Emerald

Volume

51

Issue

9

First Page

137

Last Page

147

Disciplines

Business

Keywords

Environmental awareness, Firm creation, Green firms, Energy firms, Innovation spillover

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Indexed in Scopus

no

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series

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