A meta-analysis of the causal interpretation of enterprise green innovation: A structural theoretical model

Abstract

The escalating environmental challenges have compelled corporations to embark on green innovation initiatives, establishing this as a pivotal strategy for attaining economic sustainability. Yet, there remains a lack of consensus within the scholarly community regarding the precursors and outcomes of green innovation. This research leverages Giddens' structuration theory and employs meta-analytical methods to elucidate the determinants and effects of corporate green innovation. Initially, the study synthesizes 288 effect sizes from 161 distinct scholarly articles, spanning from 2012 to early 2023, guided by the structuration framework. This comprehensive analysis corroborates the influence of several structuration theory antecedents on green innovation, thereby offering fresh empirical backing for the theory. Subsequently, it scrutinizes the link between green innovation and its impacts, evaluated through economic and environmental performance lenses. Furthermore, the research contrasts the meta-analytical findings across large-scale and smaller enterprises, underscoring notable disparities in the dynamics of green innovation across different organizational contexts. This inquiry not only reaffirms the theoretical constructs of structuration theory, such as spatialization, subjectification, and structuration, but also integrates these notions with quantifiable variable models. The paper posits that structuration theory could underpin a theoretical framework for dissecting the influential variables associated with green innovation, thereby fostering further academic investigation into corporate environmental innovation.