The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Export Resilience: The Role of Technological Innovation and Industrial Upgrading Management
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As climate change intensifies and global trade undergoes structural transformation, enhancing export resilience has become a strategic priority for highly open economies like South Korea. This study investigates whether environmental regulations function not only as compliance mechanisms but also as policy tools that enhance export resilience by promoting technological innovation and industrial upgrading. The study utilizes panel data from 16 South Korean provinces and metropolitan cities spanning the period from 2008 to 2019. A fixed-effects regression model is employed to examine the direct impact of environmental regulations on export resilience, while mediation analysis is used to explore the indirect pathways through technological innovation and structural upgrading. The analysis also accounts for regional heterogeneity by comparing effects across capital and non-capital regions. The empirical results reveal that stronger environmental regulations are positively associated with export resilience. This relationship is mediated by increases in R&D investment and shifts toward higher value-added industrial structures. Furthermore, the effect is more pronounced in capital regions, where industrial capabilities and institutional support are more developed. These findings empirically support the Porter Hypothesis and demonstrate that environmental regulation can serve as a catalyst for resilience in a climate-constrained global economy.
Abstract
As climate change intensifies and global trade undergoes structural transformation, enhancing export resilience has become a strategic priority for highly open economies like South Korea. This study investigates whether environmental regulations function not only as compliance mechanisms but also as policy tools that enhance export resilience by promoting technological innovation and industrial upgrading. The study utilizes panel data from 16 South Korean provinces and metropolitan cities spanning the period from 2008 to 2019. A fixed-effects regression model is employed to examine the direct impact of environmental regulations on export resilience, while mediation analysis is used to explore the indirect pathways through technological innovation and structural upgrading. The analysis also accounts for regional heterogeneity by comparing effects across capital and non-capital regions. The empirical results reveal that stronger environmental regulations are positively associated with export resilience. This relationship is mediated by increases in R&D investment and shifts toward higher value-added industrial structures. Furthermore, the effect is more pronounced in capital regions, where industrial capabilities and institutional support are more developed. These findings empirically support the Porter Hypothesis and demonstrate that environmental regulation can serve as a catalyst for resilience in a climate-constrained global economy.