New quality productivity and environmental innovation: The hostile moderating roles of managerial empowerment and board centralization

As new quality productivity (NQP) emerges as a rising star of productivity that can effectively leverage technological innovation and sustainability, this study aims to explore the relationship between NQP and environmental innovation, with a particular focus on the roles of managerial empowerment and board centralization within the context of China A-share listed companies. Utilizing the entire sample of China A-share market from 2013 to 2022, the study analyses the effectiveness of various dimensions reflecting innovation engagement among Chinese listed companies. For measuring NQP, the entropy method is employed to calculate the weights. By controlling for industry and year effects, the study examines both the main and moderating effects of managerial empowerment and board centralization. Additionally, heterogeneity tests, robustness checks, and two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation were conducted to address endogeneity concerns. The results demonstrate that NQP significantly enhances environmental innovation, with managerial empowerment supporting this positive effect and board centralization obstructing it. The positive effect of NQP is particularly evident in state-owned enterprises, while in heavily polluting industries, the anticipated positive moderating effect of top managers disappears due to strict regulatory environments. Furthermore, board centralization negatively moderates environmental innovation, especially in lightly polluting sectors where internal governance is more sensitive. The study underscores the importance for policymakers to tailor regulations that balance managerial empowerment and board centralization to enhance the transformation of NQP into environmental innovation. Future research is needed to further investigate different background settings and the mechanisms through which NQP influences sustainability.