Investment in environmental protection, green innovation, and solid waste governance capacity: empirical evidence based on panel data from China

Improving the capacity of solid waste governance is of great significance to alleviate environmental pollution. The current study analyzes the internal mechanism of investment in environmental protection, green innovation, and solid waste governance capacity. From 2011 to 2018, panel data for 30 provincial units in China were collected. The spatial econometric model and threshold regression model were used to approach study objectives. The results found that green innovation has a significant role in promoting solid waste governance capacity and the spatial spillover effect is obvious. In particular, green invention patent has a core stimulating effect; investment in environmental protection positively moderates the relationship between green innovation and solid waste governance capacity, and the main direction is green utility model patent. However, the spatial spillover effect is not obvious. Moreover, the moderating effect has obvious spatial heterogeneity, especially in the Eastern region. Further analysis showed that there is a single threshold effect of green innovation on solid waste governance capacity. When investment in environmental protection reaches the threshold value of 12.40, the effect of green innovation on solid waste governance capacity is further enhanced. The results provide an important theoretical and practical reference value for China to improve the capacity of solid waste governance.