Housing prices and green innovation: evidence from Chinese enterprises

Purpose Promoting enterprises' green innovation is vital to realize the sustainable growth of cities and environmental protection and the rise of urban housing prices might affect the green innovation of enterprises to a certain extent. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned objective. Design/methodology/approach Based on the data of listed companies and urban housing prices of main cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper examines the impact of housing prices on enterprises' green innovation and analyzes the mechanism of rising housing prices on enterprises' green innovation. Findings The rise of urban housing prices can significantly promote the quality of green innovation of enterprises, but it has no significant impact on the quantity of green innovation. The heterogeneity test results show that the rising house prices have a more significant role in promoting the green innovation of non-state-owned enterprises, enterprises listed on the main board, enterprises in the central and western regions, and enterprises in non-first-tier cities. The mechanism research finds that the rise of urban housing prices has a financing relief effect and cost-pushing effect on the green innovation of enterprises. Originality/value Firstly, it thoroughly examines the influence of housing prices on corporate green innovation. Second, it explores the differential impact of housing prices on enterprises' green innovation based on variations among enterprises and regions, offering valuable insights for the government to formulate proper policy. Lastly, it elucidates the influencing mechanism of housing prices on enterprise green innovation from the perspectives of corporate financing and costs, providing empirical support for enterprises to appropriately perceive the opportunities and challenges posed by rising housing prices and actively promote green innovation.