数字普惠金融能否激发城市数字技术创新?

Whether Digital Inclusive Finance Can Stimulate Urban Digital Technology Innovation?

加快推动数字技术创新是直接关乎“卡脖子”问题的重大现实需要。基于中国2011—2021年279个地级市面板数据,采用中介效应等方法实证探讨了数字普惠金融对数字技术创新的影响效应及内在机制。结果发现:数字普惠金融显著地促进了数字技术创新,该结论经一系列内生性、稳健性检验后依然成立。数字普惠金融对数字技术创新的直接冲击存在异质性特征。一方面,数字普惠金融赋能存在结构差异,表现为使用深度的赋能效应最强、覆盖广度次之、数字化程度最小。另一方面,数字普惠金融赋能具有时空差异,表现为在2015年以后的驱动效应更为突出,且对东部地区的激励效应高于中西部及东北部地区。数字普惠金融能通过提高城市创业活力、增强数字人才储备和激发政府财政科技支持等方式间接地对数字技术创新产生积极影响,但现阶段数字普惠金融的直接赋能效果更为明显。研究对新发展格局下国家统筹推动数字普惠金融与数字技术创新的协调发展具有重要启示。

How to accelerate the digital technology innovation is directly related to whether the problem of“stranglehold”can be properly solved.Based on the panel data of 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021,this paper empirically discussed the influence and mechanism of digital inclusive finance on digital technology innovation by using the method of intermediary effect.The results show that:(1)Digital inclusive finance significantly promotes digital technology innovation,and this conclusion is still valid after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests.(2)Digital inclusive finance has heterogeneity in its direct impact on digital technology innovation.On the one hand,there are structural differences in the empowerment of digital inclusive finance,which is manifested as the strongest empowerment effect in the depth of use,the second coverage breadth,and the least digitalization degree;on the other hand,digital inclusive finance empowerment has a spatio-temporal difference.That is,its driving effect is more prominent after 2015,and its incentive effect on the eastern region is higher than that of the central,western and northeastern regions.(3)Digital inclusive finance can also indirectly have a positive impact on digital technology innovation by improving urban entrepreneurial vitality,enhancing digital talent reserve and stimulating government financial scientific and technological support,but the direct empowering effect of digital finance is more obvious at this stage.The research has important implications for the country to promote the coordinated development of digital inclusive finance and digital technology innovation under the new development pattern.