数字基础设施政策与企业数字化转型:“赋能”还是“负能”?

Digital Infrastructure Policy and Digital Transformation of Enterprises:“Empowerment”or“Negative Energy”?

全面推动经济社会数字化转型是建设数字中国的重要抓手,也是实现经济高质量发展的必由之路。本文在收集整理2011~2020年中国省级层面数字基础设施政策文本的基础上,实证检验数字基础设施政策与企业数字化转型间的关系,并初步探讨政策牵头部门和多部门发文的影响特征。研究发现,数字基础设施政策实施有助于推动企业数字化转型。机制分析发现,数字基础设施政策在改善企业经营状况的同时,将加剧地区市场竞争程度并带动软件与信息技术服务业发展,由此助力企业数字化转型。异质性分析发现,与其他类型的企业相比,数字基础设施政策更有利于推动小规模企业和非国有企业的数字化转型。进一步分析发现,由发改委牵头制定的数字基础设施政策效果更为显著,多部门发文也表现出更为明显的激励效果。本文研究结论在丰富企业数字化转型研究文献的同时,也为中国数字基础设施政策乃至产业政策的制定和实施提供有益参考。

Digital transformation has become an important strategy for the high-quality development of enterprises.However,some enterprises are caught in the dilemma of digital transformation due to the lack of transformation ability,high transformation cost,and the long,painful period of transformation.The reliance on market forces to promote the digital transformation of enterprises will face problems such as coordination failure.In this context,the issue of how to improve the role of the government in driving the digital transformation of enterprises has become a key concern in all sectors of society.With the development of digital technologies such as 5G,artificial intelligence,and big data,local governments have introduced various policies to encourage and guide the construction of regional digital infrastructure.The implementation of such policies provides the possibility for enterprises to obtain financial and technical support for digital transformation,which will promote their digital transformation.Based on these considerations,this study focuses on the digital infrastructure policy and assesses its impact on the digital transformation of enterprises.By collecting and classifying the provincial policy texts related to digital infrastructure,this study empirically investigates the impact of digital infrastructure policy on the digital transformation of enterprises.It is found that digital infrastructure policies can significantly promote the digital transformation of enterprises.The mechanism analysis shows that digital infrastructure policies not only improve the operating conditions of enterprises,but also increase market competition and drive the development of the software and information technology service industry,which is conducive to promoting the digital transformation of enterprises.The results of the heterogeneity analysis show that digital infrastructure policies are more conducive to promoting the digital transformation of small-scale enterprises and non-state-owned enterprises.An analysis from the perspective of policy synergy shows that the digital infrastructure policy led by the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC)will have a more positive impact,and the effect of the policies jointly issued by multiple departments will be even more evident.The contribution of this study to existing research is mainly reflected in the following aspects.First,this study focuses on the potential impact of digital infrastructure policy on micro-enterprises,broadening the domestic research on the analysis of digital infrastructure.Second,it considers the digital transformation of enterprises as an entry point to empirically evaluate the effect of the implementation of the digital infrastructure policy.While enriching the research on the analysis of enterprise digital transformation,this study also provides a new perspective to understand the role of local governments in promoting the development of digital economy.Third,it further discusses the policy effects of different leading departments and the impact of policies jointly issued by multiple departments,allowing not only to comprehensively evaluate the practical effects of digital infrastructure policies,but also to provide useful policy reference to promote the construction of digital infrastructure in China.The conclusions of this study provide useful policy implications to promote the digital transformation of enterprises and the construction of a digital China in the new era.More in detail,the government should expand the channels for enterprises to obtain transformation funds,provide credit support for enterprises through the innovative development of the banking system,and guide enterprises to strengthen the innovation and application of digital technology by increasing government subsidies and fiscal technology expenditure,so as to promote the digital transformation of enterprises.In addition,the government should pay attention to the expansion and refinement of the digital infrastructure policies by various departments,to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of these policies.In particular,the NDRC should play a leading role in the planning of emerging digital industries and industrial digital transformation,and ensure the high-quality supply of digital infrastructure policies,so as to promote the effective integration of digital technology and the real economy.