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Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas

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Percorrer Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "17:Parcerias para a Implementação dos Objetivos"

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  • Carbon leakage and energy transition: essays on foreign direct investment, sustainable development, and international trade
    Publication . Caetano, Rafaela Vital ; Marques, António Manuel Cardoso; Afonso, Tiago Jorge Lopes
    The ever-pressing quest for climate action and the consequent enlargement of environmental restrictions is reshaping current Global Value Chains (GVCs) and international trade patterns. As economic integration continues to evolve, there is evidence of international movements (investment and goods) towards the development of trade blocs with a concentration of pollution-intensive industries in developing countries, alongside significant deindustrialisation processes in many developed countries. As integration into GVCs has progressed, developing countries have found themselves further upstream, hosting polluting industries from developed countries (mainly through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)), with the latter leading the way in climate action. But at what cost? In fact, the cost advantages emerging in developing countries are apparently coming at the expense of environmental quality. In addition, these movements have increased the external dependence of developed countries. Unprecedented global health and geopolitical crises have revealed the drawbacks of being highly integrated into GVCs. These drawbacks include the perceived concerns about countries’ sovereignty, undermined international competitiveness, and threatened fulfilment of consumer needs owing to potential supply shortages. These issues motivated the development of this thesis, which aims to gain a deeper understanding of what underpins the external dependence of developed countries and how it can be eased. To this end, seven empirical essays were developed. Environmental regulation is a widely recognised driver in the relocation of polluting industries. Why, then, does some literature support the unlikely transfer of polluting industries to developed countries? In fact, such transfers have been sustained solely based on the polluting effect of FDI in recipient countries. This thesis provides empirical evidence indicating that the pollutant impact of FDI in recipient countries is generally accompanied by an increase in the overall energy demand, predominantly supplied by non-renewable sources. Hence, to accurately evaluate the environmental impacts of FDI, an analysis of the recipient countries’ energy mix diversification should be undertaken before endorsing the transfer of industries. This thesis also sheds light on the vital role of the energy transition in recipient countries in softening the polluting impact of FDI. It should be pointed out, however, that the results reveal a potential lack of energy infrastructure in developing countries, which makes it more challenging for these countries to benefit from the energy transition.In this regard, the main findings of this thesis indicate that private participation in energy infrastructure investment encourages the energy transition in developing countries and mitigates the pollution associated with FDI. The downstream production of “environmentally friendly goods” in developed countries appears to rely on the upstream production of intermediate goods in developing countries. Additionally, the imports of intermediate goods from developing countries seem strongly encouraged by outward FDI from developed countries. These facts underline the relevance of assessing the overall environmental impact of goods from their early production (including pollution embodied in imports of intermediate goods) until their consumption. In fact, by resorting to carbon leakage, developed countries can maintain their position as leaders in climate action by polluting considerably less through production while polluting through consumption. Hence, environmental performance should cease to be exclusively measured through production-based environmental indicators. This thesis, therefore, provides empirical evidence that the external dependence of developed countries is rooted in the carbon leakage phenomenon by assessing the overall environmental impacts that might underlie the carbon leakage phenomenon, namely from the moment the investment flows out of developed countries until the moment the manufactured goods return to those economies. The energy transition has proved to have a fundamental role not only in mitigating the polluting impact of FDI in recipient countries (first, second, third, and fourth essays), but also in determining international investment and trade flows (fifth, sixth, and seventh essays). Although it may be driving carbon leakage, environmental regulation has proven to effectively reduce the external dependence of developed countries. Even though it can be considered a non-tariff barrier, enforcing environmental restrictions poses considerably low risks of trade retaliation compared to import tariffs, which are more likely to inhibit the benefits of competition. Notwithstanding, this strategy should not be exclusive; the energy transition must be pursued in parallel. The energy transition should no longer be seen merely as the substitution of fossil-fuel energy sources for renewable ones. In fact, the energy transition can trigger and entail considerable structural changes, reversing the deindustrialisation trajectory of developed countries, thus contributing to the development of robust GVCs.
    2025-06-25Tese de doutoramento Acesso embargado Ver mais
  • Circular entrepreneurship: Decision-making, digitalisation and small business models
    Publication . Suchek, Nathalia; Ferreira, João José de Matos; Fernandes, Paula Odete
    This doctoral thesis comprises five studies exploring the field of entrepreneurship within the scope of the circular economy (CE) in small businesses. The general objective of the thesis is to examine circular entrepreneurship (CEship) in the context of small firms, with the aim of generating novel insights and contributing to the development and consolidation of this research field. To this end, each of the five studies addresses a specific objective, seeking to map, understand, and explain the mechanisms through which entrepreneurs and small-scale organisations contribute to the transition towards CE. Research on CEship remains at an early stage and is therefore somewhat fragmented. Thus, study 1 reviews the literature, mapping scientific production from 2016 to 2021, with the aim of consolidating the research field by identifying key themes, research gaps, and future directions. Based on a sample of 102 articles from Scopus and Web of Science, four thematic clusters are identified: i) growing circular SMEs, ii) born-circular firms and start-ups, iii) social entrepreneurship in CE, and iv) support ecosystems for circular entrepreneurship. The literature reveals a strong focus on growing circular SMEs, to the detriment of other groups, and is mainly concentrated on European countries. A future research agenda and a conceptual model of the entrepreneurial process in CE are proposed as a starting point for further developing and deepening the literature on circular entrepreneurship. Study 2 extends this effort by reviewing the literature from 2021 to 2025, examining how the field has evolved, how previously identified research gaps have been addressed, and which new avenues have emerged. Using a bibliometric review with systematic lens (B-RSL), the study analyses 184 articles and reveals a marked increase in scholarly attention, reflected in a growing number of publications in high-impact journals. The field has also expanded in scope, methodological diversity, and geographical coverage. Bibliographic coupling identifies three thematic clusters: entrepreneurs, ventures, and ecosystems; growing circular firms; and theoretical models for CE adoption and digitalisation. Study 2 also evaluates progress on the research agenda set in Study 1, showing that several suggestions have been advanced, particularly in studies on start-ups, SMEs, and ecosystems. An updated agenda is proposed, highlighting gaps in areas well established in entrepreneurship research but still underexplored in CEship. Study 3 investigates how effectual and causal decision-making behaviours influence the pursuit of CE principles in small firms, while also examining the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Based on data from 185 Portuguese manufacturing firms and using both PLS-SEM and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), results show that both decision-making approaches positively affect CE adoption, with effectuation exerting a stronger influence. While EO negatively moderates the relationship between causal decision-making and CE adoption, it has no significant effect on the effectuation–CE relationship. fsQCA identifies four profile of firms that follow distinct pathways to CE adoption (i.e., affordable risk firms, affordable risk entrepreneurial firms, collaborative entrepreneurial firms, and agile planning firms), showing that although causal decision-making and flexibility are consistently critical, different combinations of effectual principles (affordable loss, experimentation, pre-commitments) can also lead to high CE adoption depending on the organisational context. These findings confirm that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and that firms can successfully adopt CE through different configurations of decision-making approaches aligned with their contexts and capabilities. Study 4 analyses the role of digitalisation through Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies and participation in global value chains (GVCs), as well as the effects of their complementarity on CE adoption by SMEs. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the study considers I4.0 technologies and GVC participation as key resources for CE. Using a large international sample, logistic and linear regression models were employed to test hypotheses on the effects of I4.0 technologies, GVC participation, and their interaction on CE actions (e.g., recycling or reusing materials, reducing the consumption and impact of natural resources, saving energy and/or switching to sustainable sources, and developing sustainable products or services). Findings suggest that I4.0 technologies already play an important role in CE adoption, and SMEs engaged in GVCs are more likely to adopt CE actions. However, results also indicate that combining these two resources may sometimes be detrimental, particularly in relation to recycling and reusing materials, saving energy, and the widespread adoption of CE practices. The study, therefore, offers new insights into the complexities of resource complementarity in SMEs’ pursuit of CE. Study 5 examines how social logics are embedded in the business models of circular ventures by analysing the relationship between commitment to social logic and the degree of entrepreneurial newness. Drawing on institutional logics and hybrid organisations literature, a qualitative approach was applied to 42 Portuguese circular ventures. Thematic analysis identified six patterns of social logic incorporation (ethical value chains, valorisation of local communities, community education and engagement, value sharing, democratised access to products, and social inclusion), mapped across the dimensions of value proposition, creation, delivery, and capture. These were then associated with ventures’ market and technological newness, leading to the identification of seven profiles reflecting different forms of hybridity. Findings suggest that social logic is more explicit in ventures with low market and technological newness, as well as those with high technological newness focused on extending resource value. The results underline the heterogeneity of circular business models and highlight the dual role of social logic as both a strategic positioning mechanism and a source of legitimacy under conditions of institutional pluralism. Taken together, the five studies provide original contributions to CEship research, particularly in the context of small businesses. The results advance the theoretical consolidation of this emerging field by applying diverse methodological approaches and theoretical lenses. They also offer relevant practical implications for entrepreneurs, SME managers, and policymakers seeking to accelerate the transition towards more resilient and sustainable business models. The thesis, therefore, demonstrates the potential of small firms to drive circular transformation, turning entrepreneurial practices into engines of resilience and systemic change.
    2026-01-29Tese de doutoramento Acesso embargado Ver mais