How does the digital economy affect the development of the green economy? Evidence from Chinese cities

Abstract

The digital economy may accelerate the upgrading of industrial structures and boost regional innovation output, effectively contributing to China’s green economic transformation. The impact of the digital economy on developing the urban green economy is analyzed using data from 280 cities across China from 2010–2019. Using a fixed-effects model and the Spatial Durbin model, the digital economy is found to have a significant impact on urban green economy development. This result is shown to be robust to various factors. There is significant regional variability in the impact of the digital economy on green economic growth, with the strongest impact in the northeast, followed by the central and western regions. Meanwhile, non-resource-based cities and policy pilot cities have a more pronounced role in promoting the digital economy. The intermediate transmission chain of industrial structural upgrading and regional innovation output fosters the growth of the urban green economy via the digital economy. Regional innovation production is responsible for 30.848% of this growth, with the intermediate effect of industrial structural upgrading contributing to 38.155%.

Exploring the impact of digital economy on urban entrepreneurship: Evidence from China’s cities

“…Drawing on previous studies [ 49 , 50 ], this study constructs an indicator system for the development of the digital economy in Chinese cities from two perspectives: digital inclusive financial development and Internet development. Among them, digital inclusive financial development is measured by a digital inclusive financial index [ 51 ].…”

Exploring the Role of Digital Economy in Enhanced Green Productivity in China’s Manufacturing Sector: Fresh Evidence for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

“…The proliferation and application of this digital infrastructure have significantly improved green manufacturing practices, enhancing resource and energy efficiency [42]. For instance, through IoT and sensor technology, manufacturers can monitor energy consumption and emissions on production lines in real-time, allowing them to adjust processes promptly to reduce environmental impact [43,44]. Additionally, digitalization facilitates the transition to intelligent and automated manufacturing, boosting production efficiency and reducing human errors [45].…”

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

“…(1) Some studies treat innovation or low-carbon innovation as a vital intermediary and then explore the influence of the digital economy on various aspects. For example, some scholars have found that the digital economy can impact various aspects of the economy, including high-quality economic development or green economy [8][9][10][11], energy supply chain efficiency [12], carbon intensity [13], and optimization of industrial structure [14,15], through facilitating innovation or low-carbon innovation. Although the aforementioned studies consider innovation as an intermediary variable, these studies confirm that the digital economy has a positive influence on low-carbon innovation.…”