Confucianism culture and green innovation: Evidence from Chinese industrial firms

Abstract This study contributes to the existing literature on green innovation by examining the impact of Confucianism culture on green innovation. Drawing on a culture perspective, we argue that Confucianism culture is significantly positively associated with green innovation. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms in the industrial sector from 2007 to 2019, we provide strong evidence to show that corporate green innovation projects are significantly more prevalent for firms surrounded by a strong Confucianism atmosphere compared to those in a weak Confucianism atmosphere. Additionally, we investigate the mediating roles of CEO myopia and employee‐related CSR, revealing that Confucianism culture, through both CEO myopia and employee‐related CSR mechanisms, influences green innovation. Our study contributes to the extant literature by shedding light into the black box of the positive role of Confucianism in green behavior.