What growth policies protect the environment? A two-engine growth model

Abstract

This paper compares the effects of patent protection and subsidy policies on growth and the environment in a model where technology innovation and capital accumulation are both engines of growth. Pollution is a by-product of the intermediate goods, and can be reduced by public abatement activities. The results show that, compared to subsidies, stronger patent protection is a more promising tool for achieving a double dividend, i.e., simultaneously enhancing growth and improving the environment. By contrast, a uniform increase in the subsidy rate on R&D and capital stimulates growth but harms the environment, implying a trade-off relationship between growth and the environment. For sector-specific subsidies, an R&D subsidy is superior to a capital subsidy in terms of environmental protection, but this superiority fades away if the productivity of abatement labor or the public abatement expenditure is higher.