Spyridon Stavropoulos

Smart cities within world city networks

ABSTRACT A substantiated definition of smart cities is urgently required. In this note, we explore the crossover between smart city and world city network literature. We argue that this crossover can contribute to the theoretical and empirical development of smart city literature. The results show that indeed, besides territorial measures, network measures, e.g. indegree and inward distance, are important in explaining the smartness of cities. Based on this, we recommend that smart cities include city network characteristics in future planning.

Evaluating the Performance of Smart Cities in the Global Economic Network

A substantiated definition of smart cities is urgently required. In this chapter we explore the crossover between Smart City and World City Network literature. We argue that this crossover can contribute to the theoretical and empirical development of smart city literature. We hypothesize that if a city gets smarter than its peers, then it will eventually also hold a stronger position within the global economy. Therefore, we argue that the regional and transnational positioning of cities is conditional to being smart, and where the building of dense and diverse economic network relations becomes essential. To test these assumptions, we carry out geographic and statistical analysis, using on the one hand foreign direct investment (FDI) data between smart cities and other cities of the world; and on the other hand, already available smart city indicators. In this way we try to uncover the network and urban characteristics of smart cities and make recommendations how to improve their competitive position within the world economy.

Environmental regulations and industrial competitiveness: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Economic activities are closely related to real-world environmental issues. Currently, more attention is paid to the association between environmental regulations and industrial competitiveness (IC) because of pressures on economic development and environmental protection. In this study, we identify and explain the association between environmental regulations and IC in China. As the largest developing country in the world, China has the unavoidable responsibility of protecting the environment and promoting global economic development. We analyse the mechanisms behind environmental regulations and industrial competiveness at the provincial level and conclude that the impact of environmental regulations upon IC is not a simple linear one, but a U-shaped relationship. It is argued that the crucial intervention to activate the U-shaped relationship, or Porter’s Hypothesis, is innovation, which can be triggered by stringent regulations and well-designed policies.

Which policy instruments attract foreign direct investments in renewable energy

ABSTRACT Reducing GHG emissions and mitigating climate change would require significant investments in renewable energy technologies. Foreign direct investments (FDI) in renewable energy (RE) have increased over the last years, contributing to the diffusion of RE globally. In the field of climate policy, there are multiple policy instruments aimed at attracting investments in renewable energy. This article aims to map the FDI flows globally including source and destination countries. Furthermore, the article investigates which policy instruments attract more FDI in RE sectors such as solar, wind and biomass, based on an econometric analysis of 137 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and non-OECD countries. The results show that Feed in Tariffs (FIT) followed by Fiscal Measures (FM), such as tax incentives and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), are the most significant policy instrument that attract FDI in the RE sector globally. Regarding carbon pricing instruments, based on our analysis, carbon tax proved to be correlated with high attraction of FDI in OECD countries, whereas Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) proved to be correlated with high attraction of FDI mainly in non-OECD countries. Key policy insights Feed in Tariffs is the most significant policy instrument that attracts FDI in the Renewable Energy sector globally. Fiscal Measures (FM), such as tax incentives, show a significant and positive impact on renewable energy projects by foreign investors, and particularly on solar energy. Carbon pricing instruments, such as carbon taxation and emissions trading, proved to attract FDI in OECD and non-OECD countries respectively. Public investments, such as government funds for renewable energy projects, proved not as attractive to foreign private investors, perhaps because public funds are not perceived as stable in the long run.

Data Sparseness and Variance in Accounting Profitability

A central question in strategic management is why some firms perform better than others. One approach to addressing this question empirically is to decompose the variance in firm-level profitability into firm, industry, location, and year components. Although it is well established that data sparseness in variance decomposition studies can lead to overestimating particular variance components, little attention has been paid to sample size requirements in strategic management studies that have examined the nature of differences in firm profitability. We conduct a meta-regression and variance decomposition study and conclude that the variation in the results from previous studies is driven—to a considerable extent—by the number of observations per group within a component. Based on these findings, we draw conclusions regarding the validity and reliability of previo us variance decomposition studies and provide implications for current debates in the strategic management literature.