The impact of corporate social responsibility on green innovation: a test based on meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on green innovation by considering the three dimensions of green innovation cognition, behavior and outcomes and to explore the role of situational and measurement factors in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a meta-analysis method to integrate 208,997 observations from 48 independent empirical studies on CSR and green innovation. Findings CSR positively affects green innovation cognition, behavior and outcomes. Additionally, the relationship between CSR and green innovation is stronger in Western cultural background than in Eastern ones. The impact of CSR on green innovation is also more significant in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, this study shows that the correlation between CSR and green innovation is stronger when the source of data is primary data and when green innovation is measured by non-patent methodologies. Originality/value This study elucidates the impact of CSR on green innovation and further clarifies the potential reasons for the divergent findings in existing related studies. The article enriches the theoretical results related to CSR and green innovation and provides valuable insights and references for corporate decision-makers.