数字技术、环境污染与劳动者健康不平等——基于中国家庭追踪调查数据的实证分析

Digital technology, environmental pollution, and employee health inequality:Empirical analysis based on panel data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies

近年来我国数字技术应用场景不断拓展,然而数字技术应用对劳动者健康不平等的影响还有待于理论分析和实证检验。文中扩展了Grossman的健康需求模型并以此为基础构建了异质性代理人模型以分析数字技术应用对劳动者健康不平等的影响与作用机制,然后使用中国家庭追踪调查2014年、2016年、2018年和2020年的数据与统计年鉴的匹配数据运用固定效应模型和两阶段最小二乘法进行了实证检验。主要研究结论:1)数字技术应用缩小了劳动者健康不平等。2)通过更改样本范围和替换核心解释变量的方法进行稳健性检验的结果表明基准回归的结果是稳健的。3)数字技术应用对劳动者健康不平等的影响存在城乡、年龄和区域的异质性。数字技术应用对城镇、青年、东部地区和西部地区劳动者健康不平等的影响是显著的,对农村、中年和老年、中部地区劳动者健康不平等的影响不显著。4)环境污染是数字技术应用影响劳动者健康不平等的机制。数字技术应用减少了环境污染进而缩小了劳动者健康不平等。研究结论有助于理解数字技术应用对劳动者健康不平等的影响与作用机制,对制定促进数字技术发展的政策和促进劳动者健康的政策具有积极的借鉴意义。

In recent years, the application scenarios of digital technology in China have been continuously expanding. However, the impact of digital technology applications on the health inequality of employees still needs theoretical analysis and empirical testing. In this article, we extend Grossman's health needs model and constructs a heterogeneous agent model to analyze the impact and mechanism of digital technology application on labor health inequality. Then, using data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, matching data with statistical yearbooks, a fixed effects model and two-stage least squares method were used for empirical testing. The main research conclusions are as follows. Firstly, digital technology application narrows the health inequality of employees. Secondly, robustness tests using changes in sample range and substituting core explanatory variables show that the results are robust.Thirdly, the impact of digital technology applications on the health inequality of employees varies across urban and rural areas, age groups, and regions. The impact of digital technology applications on the health inequality of employees in urban, youth, eastern and western regions is significant. In contrast, which impact on employees in rural areas, middle-aged and elderly, and central region is not significant. Fourthly, environmental pollution is the mechanism through which digital technology application affects the health inequality of employees. Digital technology application reduces environmental pollution and thus reduced health inequality among employees. The results are helpful to understand the impact and mechanisms of digital technology application on the health inequality of employees, and have positive implications for formulating policies to promote digital technology development and improve employee health.