Digital Economy Development and Urban Green Innovation CA-Pability: Based on Panel Data of 274 Prefecture-Level Cities in China

How can the digital economy reduce carbon emissions? Empirical evidence from China

China is transitioning into the digital economy era. The advancement of the digital economy could offer a fresh mechanism to attain carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives. Applications of the digital economy, such as smart energy management, intelligent transport systems, and digital agricultural technologies, have significantly reduced carbon emissions by optimizing resource use, reducing energy waste, and improving production efficiency. This research does so by devising a theoretical model that looks into the multi-faceted power of the digital economy under a two-sector paradigm. Utilising a panel model, a mediation effect model and a spatial Durbin model to assess the digital economy's power on carbon emissions. This research has determined that the digital economy can significantly diminish carbon emissions, with green tech innovations and industrial transformation being key contributors. The spatial spillover effect was used for the digital economy to aid in lowering carbon emissions in adjacent districts and upgrading better environmental stewardship. The influence of the digital economy has better performance in lowering carbon emissions in mid-western China than in the eastern area. This paper deepens understanding of the drivers of low-carbon growth and the significance, mechanism and regional disparities of the digital economy's effect on reducing carbon emissions. It offers valuable policy insights and guidance for globally achieving digital economy growth, reducing carbon emissions and reaching carbon peak and neutrality goals.

Does internet use improve employment?--Empirical evidence from China

Achieving comprehensive and high-quality employment is essential to achieving new levels of people's well-being. The advancement of Internet technology not only affect the massiveness of employment, but also the quality of that. On the basis of constructing an employment quality evaluation index system, this article uses CLDS (China Labor-force Dynamics Survey) data to explore the impact of Internet use on the employment quality of workers and its underlying mechanisms. The results reveal that Internet use has a significant positive impact on improving the employment quality of workers. As the quantile of employment quality increases, internet use has a greater impact on workers with a lower employment quality quantile. In addition, the use of Internet has a more significant promoting effect on the employment quality of rural and female workers. From the perspective of mechanism, Internet use can increase workers' social capital and influence their employment quality through the accumulation of social capital. Based on this, countermeasures and suggestions are put forward from the aspects of increasing investment and construction of Internet infrastructure, further perfecting the reform of household registration system, promoting human capital investment and social capital construction.

The impact of the digital economy on low-carbon innovation in the Yangtze River Delta region

This study narrows its focus to the Yangtze River Delta, an important region in China known for its advancements in both digital economy and low-carbon technology. In contrast to previous studies, we also examine the heterogeneous effects between central and non-central cities, as well as the role of local financial development, when analyzing the impact of the digital economy on low-carbon innovation. Based on the data of 41 cities from 2011 to 2019, we find a significant direct promoting effect of the digital economy on low-carbon innovation. Furthermore, the development of the digital economy indirectly enhances low-carbon innovation through local financial development. The heterogeneous analysis reveals a positive impact of the digital economy on low-carbon innovation in both central and non-central cities, with a stronger effect observed in non-central cities. These findings suggest several policy recommendations, including promoting digital economy and finance, green finance, and fostering regional integration in the Yangtze River Delta.

The impact of digital economy on regional technological innovation capability: An analysis based on China's provincial panel data

The development of the digital economy in China facilitates the transformation of old and new growth drivers. It can greatly promote the upgrading of technological innovation capacity, realize economies of scale and scope, and constantly promote the generation of new industries and new forms of business with the deep integration of digital economy and traditional industries, thereby promoting the high-quality development of China's economy. This paper uses inter-provincial panel data from 2013 to 2020 and a dynamic spatial Durbin model to quantify the impact of the digital economy on regional technological innovation capability (RTIC). The results show that: (1) the digital economy has positive spatial spillover effect and can boost the province's and neighboring provinces' regional technological innovation capability; (2) regional technological innovation capability has obvious spatial and temporal aggregation effects; (3) the impact of the digital economy on RTIC is mainly short-term effects, and there is regional heterogeneity, with the western region experiencing the highest effects and the eastern region experiencing less. Therefore, it is urgent to accelerate the development speed of the digital economy, grasp the law of dynamic economic development, identify the regional heterogeneity of the digital economy development, and deepen inter-regional digital technology cooperation to comprehensively drive the improvement of regional technological innovation capability.

Does digital finance promote the "quantity" and "quality" of green innovation? A dynamic spatial Durbin econometric analysis

Based on the panel data of 284 prefecture-level cities in China, this paper uses the dynamic spatial Durbin model to explore the impact of digital finance on green innovation from the dimensions of "quantity" and "quality." The results show that digital finance has a positive impact on both the quality and quantity of green innovation in local cities, but the development of digital finance in neighboring cities has a negative impact on the quantity and quality of green innovation in local cities, and the impact on the quality of green innovation is greater than that on the quantity of green innovation. And after a series of robustness tests, it was shown that the above conclusions are robust. In addition, digital finance can have a positive impact on green innovation mainly through industrial structure upgrading and informatization level. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the breadth of coverage and the degree of digitization are significantly related to green innovation, and digital finance has a more significant positive impact in eastern cities than in mid-western cities.

The influence of climate change, green innovation, and aspects of green dynamic capabilities as an approach to achieving sustainable development

Green dynamic capability is acquiring significant traction among academics, practitioners, and policymakers; however, its relationship to green innovation, climate change, and sustainable development remains unclear. This study aims to identify green innovation within the context of developing nations to cover this void. Utilizing dynamic capability and stakeholder theory, this research illuminated the significance of green dynamic capability for sustainable development. Using a two-wave research methodology, the sample for this study was comprised of organizations from the Pakistani public sector. This investigation compiled data from 342 top and middle-level employees from the ministry of climate change, the ministry of agriculture, and the capital development authority (CDA). Using SEM SMART-PLS-path modeling to test hypotheses and investigate the model's causal links. Green innovation mediates the positive relationship between green dynamic capabilities and sustainable development, as indicated by the findings. However, neither green dynamic capabilities nor the relationship between green innovation and sustainable development is moderated by climate change. The findings of the study suggest strategies for government organizations to use green innovation in environmental literature. In addition, organizations will collaborate to develop strategies to combat climate change.

Can the Digital Economy Promote the Upgrading of Urban Environmental Quality?

As the core of economic development, the digital economy plays an essential role in promoting urban environmental quality. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive indicator system using two dimensions, i.e., the internet and digital finance, to measure the development situation of the urban digital economy, and we used principal component analysis to assess it. From the three perspectives of ecological environment state, ecological environment pollution degree, and ecological environment governance ability, the entropy method was used to measure the quality of the urban environment. On the basis of panel data from 275 cities (prefecture-level and above) in China from 2011 to 2019, we empirically analyzed the impact of the digital economy on urban environmental quality using the two-way fixed effect model and spatial Dubin model. The research shows that the digital economy significantly promotes urban environmental quality upgrades. This conclusion still holds when considering endogeneity. This effect is mainly achieved by promoting technological innovation, optimizing the industrial structure, and enhancing market competition. Further research demonstrated that the digital economy does not significantly impact the improvement of environmental quality in small- and medium-sized cities, but has a positive effect on environmental quality upgrading in large cities. The development of the digital economy promoted urban environmental quality upgrading in the region. However, the development of the digital economy has no significant impact on environmental quality upgrading in surrounding areas.

Effects of ICT diffusion on environmental pollution: analysis of industrial reallocation effects in China

The development of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about fundamental changes in social progress worldwide. Using panel data from 288 Chinese cities for the period from 1999 to 2019, this study evaluates the effect of the pilot Broadband China Strategy (BCS) program on environmental pollution. We find that BCS significantly reduces environmental pollution, and that this effect is stronger in eastern China and in Chinese cities with higher financial progress or broadband development. Interestingly, the negative effect of BCS on environmental pollution decreases with the improvement of human capital in the cities. We further discuss industrial efficiency and reallocation mechanisms and ascertain that BCS affects environmental pollution in pilot cities not only through the efficiency mechanism as established in the existing literature but also through the industrial scale change and labor transfer between different industries, which we refer to as the industrial reallocation mechanism in this study. Specifically, via the industrial efficiency and reallocation mechanisms, the implementation of the BCS increases the scale and efficiency of the primary and tertiary industries but decreases the scale and efficiency of the secondary industry. This reduction in the secondary industry results in a decline in environmental pollution. It indicates that promoting the balanced development of a country's ICT infrastructure and pushing forward ICT diffusion can help alleviate environmental pollution by industrial reallocation and efficiency improvement, especially in nations with significant regional economic and technological differences.

Impact of the Digital Economy on PM2.5: Experience from the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yellow River Basin

The development of the digital economy holds great significance for alleviating haze pollution. To estimate the impact of the digital economy on haze pollution, this paper explores the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of the digital economy and PM2.5 concentration in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2019 and conducts regression analysis by combining a fixed effect (FE) model and the spatial Durbin model (SDM). Moreover, this study divides the mitigation effect of haze pollution into a direct effect and a spatial spillover effect, and it further analyzes the mechanism from the perspectives of technological innovation and the industrial structure. The empirical results show that the development level of the digital economy increases year by year and that the concentration of PM2.5 decreases year by year. The digital economy level and PM2.5 concentration in the downstream region are higher than those in the middle region, and the digital economy is negatively correlated with haze pollution. Similarly, the spatial spillover effect of the digital economy is conducive to curbing haze pollution. The robustness test also supports this conclusion. In addition, there is regional heterogeneity in the impact of the digital economy on haze pollution. The direct effect and spatial spillover effect of the digital economy on haze pollution in the downstream region are greater than those in the middle region. This study suggests that to realize air pollution prevention and control, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure and create a good digital economy development environment based on local conditions. Encouraging the development of digital technological innovation and promoting industrial digital transformation hold great significance for alleviating haze pollution.

How Big Data Affect Urban Low-Carbon Transformation-A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China

As a new factor of production, data play a key role in driving low-carbon and sustainable development relying on the digital economy. However, previous studies have ignored this point. Based on the panel data of 283 cities in China from 2007 to 2019, we investigated the construction of national big data comprehensive pilot zones (NBDCPZs) in China as a quasi-natural experiment, using the difference-in-differences (DID) model to empirically test the impact of NBDCPZ policies on urban low-carbon transformation. The following conclusions can be drawn: NBDCPZ construction significantly promotes urban low-carbon transformation, and a series of robustness analysis supports this conclusion. NBDCPZ constructions mainly promotes urban low-carbon transformation by stimulating urban green innovation and optimizing the allocation of urban resource elements. Compared with eastern cities, small and medium-sized cities, and resource-based cities, the construction of NBDCPZs can promote the low-carbon transformation of cities in central and western China, large cities, and non-resource-based cities. Further analysis shows that the construction of NBDCPZs can only improve the low-carbon transformation of local cities, with negative spatial spillover effects on the low-carbon transformation of surrounding cities. Therefore, in the future, it is vital to consider the promotion effect of the construction of NBDCPZs on the low-carbon transformation of local cities and prevent its negative impact on the low-carbon transformation of surrounding cities.

Moving towards Environmental Sustainability: Can Digital Economy Reduce Environmental Degradation in China?

In the context of environmental sustainability and accelerated digital technology development, China attaches great importance to the prominent role of digital economy in addressing environmental degradation. Utilizing Chinese provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019, this study investigates whether the digital economy can improve China's environmental sustainability proxy by reducing carbon emission intensity. Based on the fixed effects model, the findings reveal that the digital economy has a significant negative effect on carbon emission intensity and the conclusion remains robust after conducting several robustness checks. However, this impact shows regional heterogeneity, which is more effective in resource-based eastern regions and the Belt and Road provinces. Moreover, mediating effect analyses indicate that the transmission mechanisms are energy consumption structure, total factor energy productivity, and green technology innovation. Furthermore, the results based on the spatial Durbin model (SDM) demonstrate that digital economy development has a significant spatial spillover effect. Finally, on the basis of results analysis and discussion, policy recommendations are provided for achieving environmental sustainability.

Has the Digital Economy Reduced Carbon Emissions?: Analysis Based on Panel Data of 278 Cities in China

China is undergoing an urbanization process at an unprecedented scale, and low-carbon urban development is of great significance to the completion of the "dual carbon goals". At the same time, the digital economy has become an important engine for urban development, and its role in environmental improvement has become increasingly prominent. While the digital economy is booming, can it promote the low-carbon development of cities? Based on the panel data of 278 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper discusses the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions and the long-term development trend between the digital economy and carbon emissions, the impact of differences in the development level of the digital economy on carbon emissions reduction, and the impact of green energy efficiency in the relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions. The results show that the digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on carbon emissions, and with the development of the digital economy, more and more cities show an absolute decoupling of the digital economy and carbon emissions and are turning to low-carbon development. The development level of the digital economy has a heterogeneous impact on carbon emissions. With the improvement of the development level of the digital economy, the effect on emission reduction is more significant. As a threshold variable, green energy efficiency affects the relationship between digital economy and carbon emissions. When green energy efficiency is low, the digital economy promotes carbon emissions, and when green energy efficiency is high, the digital economy reduces carbon emissions.

Can the digital economy development curb carbon emissions? Evidence from China

“Carbon neutrality, carbon peaking” is China’s national commitment to the whole world about its plans to manage global climate change. China faces many severe challenges in fulfilling its commitments to reduce emissions. China’s digital economy is currently booming, and whether it can provide opportunities for reducing regional carbon emissions is worth exploring. This study constructed a comprehensive system to evaluate the development of its digital economy based on China’s regional data and empirically tested the direct, indirect, and spatial effects of the comprehensive development of digital economy on regional carbon emissions. In addition, it examined the special stage characteristics using a Hansen threshold model. This study found the following: first, the digital economy significantly suppresses carbon emissions in general, notably with a spatial spillover effect to neighboring provinces. Secondly, an analysis of the mechanism shows that the comprehensive development of a digital economy can restrain regional carbon emissions through industrial progress and the optimization of energy consumption. Third, there are double thresholds, special driving trends and an “inverted N-type” relationship with development. Fourth, a spatial heterogeneity analysis revealed that significant “local” and “neighboring” impacts on the reduction of carbon emissions only exist in the central and eastern areas. This study has a reference value for releasing the dividend of digital economy development and reducing carbon emissions.

Has Industrial Upgrading Improved Air Pollution?—Evidence from China’s Digital Economy

Air pollution has seriously hindered China’s sustainable development. The impact mechanism of industrial upgrading on air pollution is still unclear, given the rapid digital economy. It is necessary to analyze the impact of industrial structure upgrading on air pollution through the digital economy. To investigate the impact of industrial upgrading and the digital economy on air pollution, this paper selected the industrial advanced index and the digital economy index to construct a panel regression model to explore the improvement effect of industrial upgrading on air pollution and selected China’s three typical areas to construct a zonal regression model. The concentrations of air pollutants showed a downward trend during 2013–2020. Among them, the SO2 concentration decreased by 63%, which is lower than the PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations. The spatial pattern of air pollutants is heavier in the north than in the south and heavier in the east than in the west, with the North China Plain being the center of gravity. These air pollutants have significant spatial spillover effects, while local spatial correlation is dominated by high-high and low-low clustering. Industrial upgrading has a stronger suppressive effect on the PM2.5 concentration than the suppressive effect on the SO2 and NO2 concentrations, while the digital economy has a stronger improvement effect on the SO2 concentration than its improvement effect on the PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations. Industrial upgrading has a stronger improvement effect on air pollution in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration than in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding areas, while the improvement in air pollution attributable to the digital economy in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding areas is stronger than in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. There are significant differences in the effects of industrial upgrading and the digital economy on the various types of air pollutants.

Digital Economy, R&D Investment, and Regional Green Innovation—Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data in China

The digital economy plays an important role in promoting regional green innovation. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial administrative regions in mainland China (except Tibet) from 2011 to 2018, this paper constructs a comprehensive development index of the digital economy and explores the potential path of the digital economy affecting regional green innovation through factor analysis and regression analysis. The results show the following: Firstly, the digital economy can effectively promote regional green innovation capability. The causal relationship is mainly realized through scientific research funds and human resources. Secondly, in terms of regional heterogeneity, the role of the digital economy in promoting green innovation and R&D investment in eastern China is stronger than that in central and western China. Thirdly, further analysis showed that the digital economy has a significant nonlinear influence on regional green innovation capability. This feature is mainly reflected in the influence of R&D personnel on regional green innovation. Therefore, the rational allocation of R&D resources is conducive to the development of regional green innovation. Finally, it is suggested to improve the two mechanisms of R&D funds and personnel investment to actuate regional green innovation development.

Can Green Innovation and New Urbanization Be Synergistic Development? Empirical Evidence from Yangtze River Delta City Group in China

Green innovation has become the mainstream of the era, and new urbanization is an inevitable choice in China’s urbanization development. Focusing on the topics of green innovation and new urbanization, much work has been done to analyze their influencing factors separately, while the relationship between the two remains to be explored. This paper selects the representative indicators to study the new urbanization and green innovation of the Yangtze River Delta city group from the perspective of the whole and individual cities, in terms of spatiotemporal evolution traits, by using the SBM, entropy method, coupling model, spatial econometric and geographical detector. The results reveal the following: (1) there is a synergistic effect between green innovation and new urbanization development, and the role has been increasing; (2) green innovation and new urbanization present positive spatial autocorrelation and regional agglomeration; (3) in the detection of driving factors, economic development > social conditions > natural resources; most groups (40/66) of factor interactions present nonlinear enhancement, and the digital economy factor accounts for the largest proportion. Finally, according to the findings, we offer a suggestion and a conclusion.