Does the cost of energy matter for innovation? The effects of energy prices on SME innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa

IF 4.5 2区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research Pub Date : 2022-02-08 DOI:10.1108/ijebr-10-2021-0855

J. Hussain, A. Karimu, Samuel Salia, Robyn Owen

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

PurposeEnergy and environment has gained traction within the field of entrepreneurship literature, but a comprehensive empirical study that examines the relationship between the cost of energy and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) innovation is an omission. Therefore, this novel study aims to examine the relationship between the cost of energy and SMEs innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by first examining the differential impact of the various generation sources on the price of electric energy. This research has enabled us to investigate and understand the transmission mechanism of increasing/decreasing electricity price on innovation decisions and activities of SMEs in SSA.Design/methodology/approachUsing quantitative approach, with the data from the World Bank Enterprise and Innovation Follow-up Surveys, the study utilises a Tobit model to test whether the generation mix (renewable and non-renewable generation sources) increases or decreases electricity prices and examine the impact of the cost of electric energy on SMEs innovation in SSA.FindingsThe findings of this study shows that the cost of electricity affects negatively on SMEs innovation decision and activities of SMEs in SSA. The impact of renewables on the price of electricity has a larger magnitude relative to that of non-renewables. This finding has implications for policy makers promoting renewable energy without a policy design to tackle the unintended price effect of promoting renewable energy.Originality/valueThis is the first study to introduce cost of energy into an innovation model and to empirically examine the role of cost of energy for innovation activities of SMEs in SSA. Further, it examines the sources of generation on electricity price in SSA. The study contributes towards the empirical literature, and the findings also have implication for policy makers regarding the unintended consequences of promoting the transition to low-carbon electricity generation sources on SMEs via the cost of doing business implication.

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能源成本对创新有影响吗?能源价格对撒哈拉以南非洲中小企业创新的影响

能源和环境在创业文献领域已经获得了牵引力，但对能源成本与中小企业创新之间关系的全面实证研究是一个遗漏。因此，这项新颖的研究旨在通过首先检查各种发电来源对电力价格的差异影响来检查撒哈拉以南非洲(SSA)的能源成本与中小企业创新之间的关系。本研究使我们得以考察和理解电价增减对中小企业创新决策和创新活动的传导机制。本研究采用定量方法，利用世界银行企业与创新后续调查的数据，利用Tobit模型检验发电组合(可再生能源和不可再生能源)是否会提高或降低电价，并检查电力成本对SSA中小企业创新的影响。研究发现:电力成本对中小企业的创新决策和活动产生负向影响。相对于非可再生能源，可再生能源对电价的影响更大。这一发现对政策制定者在促进可再生能源的同时，没有制定政策来解决促进可再生能源的意外价格效应具有启示意义。原创性/价值本研究首次将能源成本引入创新模型，并实证考察了能源成本在SSA中小企业创新活动中的作用。进一步，分析了发电来源对SSA电价的影响。该研究为实证文献做出了贡献，研究结果也为政策制定者提供了启示，即通过经营成本影响促进中小企业向低碳发电来源转型的意外后果。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research Multiple-

CiteScore

10.20

自引率

16.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research (IJEBR) has a unique focus on publishing original research related to the human and social dynamics of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial management in small and growing organizations. The journal has an international perspective on entrepreneurship and publishes conceptual papers and empirical studies which bring together issues of interest to academic researchers and educators, policy-makers and practitioners worldwide.The editorial team encourages high-quality submissions which advance the study of human and behavioural dimensions of entrepreneurship and smaller organizations. Examples of topics which illustrate the scope of the journal are provided below. Topicality Nascent entrepreneurship and new venture creation Management development and learning in smaller businesses Enterprise and entrepreneurship education, learning and careers Entrepreneurial psychology and cognition Management and transition in smaller, growing and family-owned enterprises Corporate entrepreneurship and venturing Entrepreneurial teams, management and organizations Social, sustainable and informal entrepreneurship National and international policy, historical and cultural studies in entrepreneurship Gender, minority and ethnic entrepreneurship Innovative research methods and theoretical development in entrepreneurship Resourcing and managing innovation in entrepreneurial ventures.