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DOES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTECTION CONSTITUTE A BARRIER TO RENEWABLE ENERGY? AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2020

Jinkai Li ,
Oluwasola E. Omoju ,
Jin Zhang ,
Emily E. Ikhide ,
Gang Lu ,
Adedoyin I. Lawal  and
Vivian A. Ozue
Jinkai Li
Affiliation:
Center for Energy, Environment and Economy Research, Zhengzhou University.
Oluwasola E. Omoju*
Affiliation:
National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Nigeria.
Jin Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University.
Emily E. Ikhide
Affiliation:
NILDS, Nigeria.
Gang Lu
Affiliation:
State Grid Energy Research Institute Co. Ltd, Beijing.
Adedoyin I. Lawal
Affiliation:
Landmark University, Nigeria.
Vivian A. Ozue
Affiliation:
United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
*
corresponding author. E-mail: shollcy@yahoo.co.uk
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Abstract

This study uses an econometric approach to investigate the role of IPR protection on renewable energy adoption using panel data of 102 countries at five-year intervals over the period 1990–2005. The Ginarte-Park index is used as a measure of the strength of intellectual property protection while the adoption of renewable energy is measured by the share of renewable energy in total final energy use. The results reveal that the level of intellectual property rights protection and reform of the intellectual property rights regime do not have significant impact on renewable energy adoption, suggesting that IPR protection is not a cause for concern in the global quest for clean energy transition. On the contrary, we find that trade openness has a stronger influence in the transition to clean energy. Based on the findings of the study, we conclude that IPR protection does not influence renewable energy adoption except in high R&D countries; rather policy makers should concentrate efforts on economic factors, such as trade openness, that drive the adoption of renewable energy technologies.

Keywords

intellectual property rightsrenewable energyinnovationtechnology ransferclimate change mitigationpanel regression.O34Q42Q55Q23
Type
Research Article
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 251 , February 2020 , pp. R37 - R46
Copyright
© National Institute of Economic and Social Research, 2020

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Footnotes

This paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71473070), Humanity and Social Science Youth Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 18YJC790216), Technology Project of Headquarter of China’s State Grid Co., Ltd (Grant SGFJJY00GHJS1900003).

References

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