Do import technology spillovers impact eco-efficiency in manufacturing industries: a spillover decomposition analysis

Technology spillovers in an open economy, a source of innovation, potentially contribute to reducing environmental pollution and improving environmental quality; however, few studies have explored this issue in detail. Based on the heterogeneous industrial R&D expenditure data issued by the OECD structural analysis database and the trade data collected from statistics on international trade by commodity in the OECD, this study evaluates the diversified channels of the import-related technology spillovers in manufacturing industries in China. Moreover, the study empirically investigates the eco-efficiency impact of technology spillovers via decomposed diversified spillover channels. The findings show that import-related technology spillovers positively affect the eco-efficiency of manufacturing industries. Inter-industrial technology spillovers, rather than intra-industrial technology spillovers, contribute more to aggregate technology spillovers and, accordingly, have played a more prominent role in promoting eco-efficiency.