How do R&D inputs affect green economic development? Evidence from China

An in-depth understanding of the relationship between R&D inputs and green economic development helps to build an eco-friendly society. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2009 to 2017, this study explores the effect of R&D inputs on green economic development from the different perspectives of short-term and long-term and the moderating effect of market in the influence process. This study has concluded the following findings: (1) When considering multiple pollutants as undesirable outputs, China's green economic performance is low in recent years, and there exist great differences among different regions in green economic development. (2) R&D personnel and R&D expenditure can promote green economic performance under the moderation of the market. (3) R&D personnel is conducive to improving green economic growth, however, R&D expenditure has not shown an obvious effect on green economic growth in the short term. From the perspective of long-term, R&D personnel and R&D expenditure all can obviously improve green economic growth under the moderation of the market. Finally, this study puts forward targeted suggestions for promoting green economy development.