Can technology-driven cross-border mergers and acquisitions promote green innovation in emerging market firms? Evidence from China

Emerging markets face severe ecological and environmental problems in periods of economic and political transition. The existing literature analyses the impact of technology on environmental benefits and the role of technology on the green innovation of enterprises, mostly from the perspective of technology spillover in enterprises in mature markets. Based on a sample of 229 Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), this paper explores the role of technology-driven cross-border M&As (TDC M&As) in green innovation, finding that TDC M&As have a significant promoting effect on green innovation. A higher degree of ownership concentration positively promotes the relationship between TDC M&As and green innovation in the enterprise. This paper divides enterprises into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and political connection enterprises, with the nature of SOEs negatively affecting the relationship between TDC M&As and green innovation, the nature of political connections significantly promoting the relationship. Similarly, formal institutional distance negatively interacts with TDC M&As to affect the green innovation of enterprises, while informal distance interacts positively with TDC M&As. This paper has important implications for emerging market enterprises in realising the transformation of the mode of economic growth and achieving harmonious development between enterprises and the environment.