数字基础设施赋能城市低碳发展吗?

Does Digital Infrastructure Empower Low-carbon Development in Cities?

本文将“宽带中国”战略政策视为一次准自然实验,以2006年—2019年中国282个地级市的平衡面板数据为研究样本,评估数字基础设施建设对城市低碳发展的影响。研究发现,数字基础设施建设可以显著赋能城市低碳发展,且可通过促进绿色创新或提升经济集聚进而赋能城市低碳发展。异质性分析表明,数字基础设施建设对产业结构升级高的城市、非资源型城市和东部地区的城市影响更显著。本文的研究为促进城市低碳发展提供了新的经验证据,为政府部门决策提供了有益参考。

This article takes the balanced panel data of 282 prefecture level cities in China from 2006 to 2019 as the research sample,and evaluates the impact of the"Broadband China"strategic policy on urban carbon emissions by constructing a multi-period double difference model.The results showed that the"Broadband China"strategic policy can significantly reduce the intensity of urban carbon emissions.In the mechanism analysis,this article found that the"Broadband China"policy can reduce the intensity of urban carbon emissions by promoting green innovation or enhancing economic agglomeration.In addition,this article also conducts heterogeneity analysis from three dimensions:industrial structure,urban resource endowment,and urban geographical location.The results show that the"Broadband China"policy has a more significant impact on cities with high industrial structure upgrading,non-resource-based cities,and cities in the eastern region.The research conclusions of this article provide new empirical evidence for promoting China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals,promoting low-carbon urban development,and providing useful references for government departments to make major decisions.