长江经济带高铁开通对制造业绿色转型的影响

Impact of high-speed rail service in the Yangtze River Economic Belt on the green transformation of the manufacturing industry

推动长江经济带发展是国家重大区域发展战略之一。长江经济带高质量发展的引领在于生态优先和绿色发展,而制造业的绿色转型则是长江经济带绿色发展的重要环节。该研究基于2003—2019年长江经济带107个地级城市数据,采用双重差分模型和中介效应模型实证研究了长江经济带高铁开通对制造业绿色转型的影响效应及其作用机制。研究发现,长江经济带高铁开通显著促进了沿线城市制造业的绿色转型,这种影响在平行趋势检验、安慰剂检验、工具变量回归等一系列稳健性检验后依旧成立。其次,这种影响在不同地区城市、不同层级城市以及沿江和非沿江城市间具有显著的异质性,高铁开通对西部长江上游城市群、直辖市和省会城市以及非沿江城市制造业绿色转型的促进作用更为突出。此外,长江经济带高铁开通可以通过加快人力资本和研发资本要素的流动促进制造业绿色转型;而高铁开通对铁路货运能力的释放尚不显著,绿色物流在高铁开通促进制造业绿色转型中的中介作用有待进一步发挥。基于该研究结果提出建议:稳步推进长江经济带高铁建设,加快既有线路改造,助力制造业绿色转型;坚持落实系统观念,加快运输结构调整力度,促进绿色物流发展,助推制造业绿色转型;加强政策引导,积极探索区域联动机制,实现高铁均衡促进不同地区和不同类型城市制造业的绿色转型。

Promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is one of the major regional development strategies of China. The leading role of the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt lies in the implementation of policies that attach priority to ecological and green development, and the green transformation of the manufacturing industry is an essential part of it.Based on the data of 107 prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2003 to 2019, this study used the differencein-differences model and the mediation effect model to empirically study the impact of high-speed rail service on the green transformation of the manufacturing industry and its transmission mechanism. The research results showed that:(1) The availability of high-speed rail service in the Yangtze River Economic Belt significantly promoted the green transformation of the manufacturing industry in cities along the railway lines. This effect held after a series of robustness tests, such as the parallel trend test, the placebo test, and the instrumental variable regression.(2) This impact had significant differences among different regions, different tiers of cities, and cities in different geographical locations. Specifically, the impact of high-speed rail service on urban agglomerations in the western region, municipalities and provincial capitals, and non-riverside cities was more significant.(3) The high-speed rail service in the Yangtze River Economic Belt could promote the green transformation of the manufacturing industry by accelerating the flow of high-end factors such as human capital and R&D capital along the lines. However, the high-speed rail service has not yet significantly released the railway freight capacity, and the intermediary role of logistics needs to be further exerted. This study suggests that we should:(1) steadily promote the construction of high-speed rail facilities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and accelerate the transformation of existing lines;(2) adhere to the implementation of the system concept, accelerate the adjustment of the transportation structure, and promote the development of green logistics;and(3) strengthen policy guidance, actively explore regional linkage mechanisms, and promote the balanced development of cities in different regions and cities of different types.