Are cities greener because of innovation?Independent innovation policy and green economic efficiency

The national independent innovation demonstration zone(NIIDZ)is an independent innovation policy that plays a crucial role in implementing strategies.Given the importance of the NIIDZ,this study uses panel data of 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2020 and empirically examines the effect and internal mechanism of the NIIDZ on green economic efficiency(GEE)using the difference-in-difference model(DID).The results show that the NIIDZ effectively enhances the growth of GEE,and the results remain valid through several robustness tests,such as year-by-year propensity score matching.The transmission mechanism suggests that the NIIDZ indirectly drives GEE by accelerating scientific and technological investment,promoting talent concentration,and optimizing the industrial structure.Moreover,heterogeneity analysis reveals that the promotion effect of the NIIDZ on GEE is more prominent in the eastern region and high green development level areas.The study’s findings can serve as a reference for China to further utilize the policy effectiveness of the NIIDZ and accelerate the high-quality development of the green economy in the future.

Study on the efficiency and regional disparity of green technology innovation in China's industrial companies

This paper first constructed a system to evaluate the innovation efficiency of industrial companies within China's Mainland.Then,a principal component analysis(PCA) was performed to these indicators for dimensionality reduction,so as to figure out the technology innovation efficiency in these two phases,respectively.Finally,the overall efficiency of industrial companies in different regions was estimated and factorized via data envelopment analysis(DEA).The results showed that:(1)the efficiency of green technology innovation of industrial companies in China was relatively low as a whole,which mainly resulted from pure technical efficiency(PTE).Further,this huge gap continues to expand in these regions.And both PTE and scale efficiency(SE) in central and western regions leave much to be expected.(2)In the first phase of green technology development,when environmental factors were concerned,the efficiency was much lower than that without environmental considerations.Besides,the central and western regions were facing increasingly severe environmental problems,and there was a wide disparity in technology development efficiency among eastern,central,and western regions.(3)In the second phase of green technology commercialization,there were still more rooms for improvement in raising the efficiency of green technology innovation,and the efficiency in eastern,central,and western regions was ranked from highest to lowest.(4)Liaoning,Hebei,Heilongjiang,Xinjiang,Shanxi,Inner Mongolia,Yunnan,and Qinghai should focus on improving their technology;Jilin,Jiangxi,Anhui,and Guangxi should make their efforts to reduce resource redundancy;whereas Ningxia and Gansu should try to solve the above two issues.

Threshold effects of tourism agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of China's tourism industry

Industrial agglomeration is an essential and effective way to integrate resources and elements. Its impact on the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry is a process of continuous development and dynamic change. This paper, based on the provincial panel data from 2006 to 2015, uses super SBM model to measure the green innovation efficiency of China's tourism industry.The threshold regression model is employed to conduct empirical tests of the nonlinear threshold effect of agglomeration on the green innovation efficiency of tourism industry. The inter-provincial differences of various threshold effects and their possible causes are analyzed. Results indicate that the green innovation efficiency of China's tourism industry is generally growing, while regional disparity is significant with a gradient decrease along the eastern-central-western regions. There is an obvious positive nonlinear relationship between tourism agglomeration and green innovation efficiency. It is also found that with the increase of agglomeration, its influence is at a high level. As the level of agglomeration crosses the first threshold, its impact is at a low level, and when it crosses the second threshold, the impact of tourism agglomeration is at an intermediate level. Finally, this paper proposes the basic path and some policy recommendations to promote the green innovation efficiency of the tourism industry in China.

Evaluation and Influence Factor of Green Efficiency of China’s Agricultural Innovation from the Perspective of Technical Transformation

Agricultural innovation is important for the green transformation of agriculture.Based on the perspective of technology transformation,this paper builds a theoretical analysis framework and evaluation index system for green efficiency of agricultural innovation,and discusses the evolution laws and influencing factors of the green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation from 2005 to 2017 utilizing the DEA model,Malmquist index,and Tobit regression analysis.The results show that:1)The overall green efficiency of China’s agricultural innovation is not high,the green efficiency of agricultural innovation in eastern China is mainly driven by pure technical efficiency,while that in central and western China is mainly driven by the scale efficiency.The green efficiency of agricultural innovation shows significant spatial differences,and the low efficiency and relatively low-efficiency regions moved to central and southeastern China.2)Technical progress is the main force affecting the change of green total factor productivity of China’s agricultural innovation,seeing a trend of decrease followed by an increase.Pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency exhibit an increasing-decreasing trend,and gradually transform into key factors that restrict the improvement of the green total factor productivity of agricultural innovation.3)Agricultural technologies’diffusion,absorption,and implementation are three influencing factors of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.The local level of informatization,the number of agricultural technicians in enterprises and institutions,average education level of residents,and the level of agricultural mechanization have positive impacts on the promotion of the green efficiency of agricultural innovation,promoting the diffusion,absorption and implementation of agricultural innovation technology can significantly improve the green efficiency of agricultural innovation.

Influence of technological innovation on regional green development efficiency in China(2004-2017):An empirical analysis based on the spatial Durbin model

Under the background of green development,the function direction of technological innovation to green development efficiency,which includes economy,resources and environment,needs to be observed by demonstration.In this paper,the green development efficiency of 30 provinces(cities and districts)in China from 2004 to 2017 is measured and its intertemporal changes,regional differences of green development efficiency are analyzed by using the super efficiency SBM model,further through theoretical analysis and empirical study,the influence of technological innovation on regional green development efficiency and its impact mechanism are investigated.The influence mechanisms of the technological innovation on green development efficiency are clarified and empirically tested by spatial econometric models from the perspectives of the growth sources and quantitative analysis.The results show that during the observation period,the green development efficiency in China exhibits a U-shaped variation,but there are huge regional differences with the obvious polarization in Eastern and Midwestern regions,and that technological innovation has some effect in promoting the regional green development efficiency,but not significant enough,which are heterogeneous according to the time periods and regions.

Do smart city policies improve energy efficiency?Evidence from China

To address air pollution and offer a convenient and comfortable living environment,the Chinese government launched a smart city pilot(SCP)project in 2012,accompanied by a comprehensive set of environmental and energy-related laws and regulations.Although academic interest in smart cities has surged,there remains a notable gap in empirical research exploring the economic,environmental,and energy effects of such initiatives.Taking 232 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2017 as research subjects,this study measures energy effi‐ciency by using energy consumption per unit of GDP and adopts a difference-in-differences(DID)analysis to investigate the impact of SCPs on energy efficiency.The empirical results indicate that SCPs improved energy efficiency by promoting urban technological innovation capabilities and green total factor productivity,and this effect was more pronounced in cities that were more dependent on traditional fossil fuel energy sources and had more developed fiscal and financial levels.Studying the impact of smart city construction on energy utilization efficiency in developing countries,such as China,is not only significantly enlightening for China’s green and low-carbon transition but also provides reference opinions for constructing smart cities and the path to enhancing energy efficiency in other developing countries.The findings provide valuable insights into the global development of smart cities,urban sustainability,and high-quality economic growth.

Research on the Impact of Digital Finance on Energy Efficiency in China

Digital finance and green technology innovation(GTI)serve as powerful engines for promoting energy efficiency(EE)and economic development.This paper explores the mechanism by which digital finance impacts EE based on panel data from 30 provinces in China spanning from 2011 to 2019.The results demonstrate that digital finance can significantly enhance EE,with a particularly pronounced effect in the eastern region.Through mechanistic analysis,it is evident that GTI serves as the transmission pathway through which digital finance influences EE,accounting for 45.3%of the effect.The policy implication of this study suggests that China should expedite the digitization of financial markets to further harness the development of digital finance,particularly in pursuit of its technological innovation and green,lowcarbon environmental protection effects.

Do ESG Scores in Corporations Improve Green Innovation Empirical Evidence from Listed Chinese Companies

The ESG score system is a fundamental component of the green financial system that is essential in promoting corporate environmental progress.In this work we investigate the micro-environmental impact of ESG scores using panel fixed effects models.We examine the processes underlying the influence of ESG scores on the performance of corporate green innovation as well as any potential inequalities in this impact under different moderating factors.To conduct our analysis we use data from Chinese-listed A-shares on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2010 to 2019.Our study demonstrates a relationship between corporate green innovation and ESG ratings indicating that higher ESG ratings assist businesses in achieving better green innovation results.This beneficial effect is evident both numerically and qualitatively and it continues to hold up even after being put through several demanding tests.Additionally we pinpoint two main ways that ESG encourages corporate green innovation by boosting government-enterprise ties and strengthening corporate investment efficiency.We also note that while business characteristics aligned with sustainability further enhance the favorable influence of ESG on green innovation performance characteristics linked to ecologically detrimental activities impede the contribution of ESG to green innovation.Our study adds to the body of knowledge already available on corporate environmental performance and green finance by offering empirical insights that can help enhance corporate environmental development and improve the ESG rating system.

Research on the model of regional green innovation system in China:A case study of Shandong province

Taking Shandong province,one of China’s first batch of circular economy pilot provinces,as an example,this paper summarizes some types of regional green innovation system models through the cases study and retrospective reasoning and retrospective approaches.The models mentioned above include(1)the innovation system model of green animal husbandry in coastal small towns,(2)the green innovation system model in intravenous industry park,(3)the green innovation system model in coastal hi-tech industrial development zone based on the development of eco-industrial and low-carbon industries,(4)the green innovation system model in coastal economic&technological development area based on the development of ecological arterial industry and the ecological intravenous industry through the waste recycle inside and outside the area,(5)the green innovation system model of coastal harbor economic and technological development area based on constructing tiny-medium-macro circulation,(6)the green innovation system of reformed coastal economic and technological development zone turning to the recycling marine industry innovation,and(7)the green innovation system model of high-tech industry development zone tending to recycling innovation of biological industry.This paper aims to analyze the characteristics of these models,the formation mechanism,and further to discuss their implications for greening the same type of regional innovation systems.

基于谱聚类的中国绿色创新效率评价及影响机理研究

基于创新价值链视角,运用超效率SBM-Undesirable模型分别测算了中国30个省份技术研发和成果转化2个阶段的绿色创新效率;利用谱聚类算法将中国30个省份进行了绿色创新区域划分,并应用Kernel密度估计方法对各区域绿色创新效率的差异性进行了研究;构建了面板Tobit模型,探究影响因素对各区域绿色创新效率的影响机理.结果表明:从全国范围看,成果转化阶段绿色创新效率高于技术研发阶段,技术研发阶段仍然存在较大的提升空间;划分成的3个绿色创新区域绿色创新效率存在不均衡性,各区域绿色创新效率演变规律存在显著差异;不同阶段的影响因素对各区域绿色创新效率的影响程度和方向存在差异性.基于分析结论,从政府支持力度、环境规制等方面对不同区域提高绿色创新效率给出针对性建议.

市场激励型环境规制与区域绿色创新效率——基于产业结构优化的中介作用和财政分权的调节作用

市场激励型环境规制是解决环境治理负外部性、推进区域绿色创新效率的重要途径。以2005~2020年省级面板数据为研究对象,采用系统广义矩模型(GMM)法检验市场激励型环境规制对区域绿色创新效率的影响效应及作用机理。结果表明:市场激励型环境规制能够显著促进区域绿色创新效率的提升;从影响机制来看,市场激励型环境规制可以通过促进产业结构合理化和产业结构高级化显著促进区域绿色创新效率的提升。此外,有效的财政分权环境能够正向调节市场激励型环境规制与区域绿色创新效率的关系。

数字经济、绿色技术创新与能源效率提升——基于城市面板数据的实证分析

提高能源效率是我国经济绿色转型和实现双碳目标的必然要求,当下数字经济已成为能源效率提升的新动能。本文基于数字经济的“四化”框架,在理论分析的基础上,运用2011~2020年我国284个地级市的面板数据,实证检验了数字经济影响能源效率提升的机制、特征和路径。结果表明:(1)数字经济及各维度对能源效率提升的总体效应为正,其中产业数字化促进作用最强,且数字经济对能源效率的提升具有区域异质性;(2)数字经济对能源效率的提升存在双门槛,呈现中间波动但总体促进的“N”型特征;(3)数字经济可通过促进绿色技术创新进而提升能源效率,且绿色技术创新水平的提高有助于城市跨越数字经济的第二个门槛,实现数字经济发展与能源效率提升的共赢。

绿色技术创新对我国碳减排的影响——基于省级区域面板数据的实证分析

为了早日实现“碳达峰碳中和目标”,我国提出要建立健全绿色低碳循环发展的经济体系,而绿色技术创新是推动绿色高质量发展的关键核心,也是解决我国现实生态环境问题的重要支撑。为了研究绿色技术创新对地区碳减排的影响机制,文章基于我国30个省份2011-2020年的面板数据构建固定效应模型,并检验了能源利用率的中介机制和地方政府竞争的调节作用。研究发现,绿色技术创新可以显著促进碳减排,但这一促进作用在我国东部地区最显著,而在中部地区和西部地区不显著;进一步研究发现,绿色技术创新可以通过提高能源利用率促进碳减排,但地方政府竞争对绿色技术创新的促进作用起到负向调节作用。本研究为提高我国绿色技术创新能力、助力“双碳目标”的实现以及促进地方政府有序竞争提供了理论支撑和对策建议。

体育赛事、环境规制与城市环境治理效率——基于中国百强城市的实证研究

大型体育赛事具有广泛的社会、经济影响力。如何利用举办体育赛事促进城市发展、改善生态环境是建设体育强国,促进体育事业高质量发展的重要一环。新时代以来,在绿色新发展理念的指导下,环保和可持续发展成为体育赛事的重要目标,地方政府也因此以举办大型体育赛事为契机,提升环境规制水平,以期体育赛事成为推动城市绿色发展的动力之一。使用DEA-SBM模型测算我国百强城市的环境治理效率,并使用空间双重差分法分析我国百强城市2010—2019年申办的国家以上级别综合性体育赛事对城市环境治理、环境规制以及绿色创新的影响。结果表明,大型赛事的申办会显著提高举办城市的环境治理效率,该结果在控制城市产业结构、人力资本水平、工业行业规模、环境治理支出等有可能造成影响的变量后依然成立。通过机制检验发现,大型体育赛事能够通过提高举办地的环境规制强度和绿色创新强度两条路径提高环境治理效率。研究证明,中国的体育赛事已经成为积极、高效的环境治理方式之一,能够长期促进城市新质绿色生产力的发展。

新能源汽车产业集聚对区域绿色经济效率的影响——基于长江经济带的实证研究

将产业集聚、绿色技术创新和绿色经济效率纳入同一研究框架,聚焦长江经济带,研究新能源汽车产业集聚对绿色经济效率的影响,为我国在“双碳”背景下推进实现制造强国的战略目标及长江经济带新能源汽车发展提供参考。论文基于2012—2020年长江经济带沿线11个省市面板数据,综合利用超效率SBM和区位熵法,构建计量模型,实证研究新能源汽车产业集聚对绿色经济效率的影响,探讨绿色技术创新的中介效应,并进一步分析新能源汽车产业集聚对绿色经济效率的空间溢出效应和区域异质性。研究结果表明:1)长江经济带整个区域已形成“带状”新能源汽车产业集聚区,集聚平均水平随年份波动上升,上中下游产业集聚水平呈递增格局,水平差异较大且有逐渐增加趋势;2)新能源汽车产业集聚通过整合内部网络资源和提升外部整体能力,对长江经济带绿色经济效率具有正向促进作用;3)产业集聚的发展通过竞争效应和合作效应促进绿色技术创新,而绿色技术创新的发展可以提升经济动力和效率,因而绿色技术创新在产业集聚与绿色经济效率之间具有中介作用;4)新能源汽车产业集聚对绿色经济效率具有空间溢出效应,上中下游新能源汽车产业集聚对绿色经济效率的影响存在差异。据此,从加强产业集群建设,发挥新能源汽车产业发展的长效机制、强化发展绿色技术创新体系和推动新能源汽车区域异质性发展三个方面提出对策建议。

长江经济带知识产权保护与城市绿色技术创新效率——基于创新价值链视角的空间效应分析

基于创新价值链视角,将绿色技术创新活动分解为科技研发和成果转化两个阶段,对2011—2020年长江经济带108个城市知识产权保护的绿色创新效应进行实证分析。结果表明:(1)知识产权保护对本地绿色技术创新总效率及其子阶段效率的直接影响均显著为正;空间效应结果表明,知识产权保护对科技研发效率存在正向空间溢出效应,对成果转化效率则具有负向空间溢出效应,但对总效率的空间影响效应依然为正。(2)强化知识产权保护能够通过吸引外商直接投资、促进金融发展、提高人力资本质量三种渠道促进城市绿色技术创新效率提升。(3)异质性分析表明,长江经济带下游城市强化知识产权保护有利于推动科技研发效率和成果转化效率的提升;而中上游城市加强知识产权保护对科技研发效率的提升作用并不显著,对成果转化效率甚至具有消极影响。本文结论为长江经济带推进知识产权保护建设和绿色技术创新发展提供了有益启示。

机器人应用对旅游产业绿色创新效率的影响

在全球范围内,机器人技术的迅猛发展正为旅游产业绿色发展转型提供新的动力.该文基于颠覆性创新理论,以2010—2019年中国省级旅游产业为研究对象,利用国际机器人联合会(IFR)数据,并结合超效率SBM模型和固定效应模型,对机器人应用对旅游产业绿色创新效率的影响进行了测量与分析.研究发现:1)机器人应用驱动了旅游产业绿色创新效率的提升,该结论在考虑内生性问题和进行稳健性检验时依然成立.2)机器人应用可以通过增强地区旅游业密集度和提高旅游行业竞争性两条路径,对旅游产业绿色创新效率产生正向作用.3)减少旅游业一般性人力资本可以强化机器人应用对绿色创新的促进作用.4)机器人应用对旅游产业绿色创新效率的积极影响存在显著的区域异质性.该研究为理解中国旅游产业绿色创新效率的发展提供了新视角,也对于合理利用机器人以提升旅游产业的绿色创新效率提供了实证依据和策略建议.

数字基础设施建设对城市绿色创新效率的影响——基于“宽带中国”战略试点政策的准自然实验

本文基于我国280个地级及以上城市2006~2021年的面板数据,利用多期双重差分模型考察“宽带中国”战略试点政策实施对城市绿色创新效率的影响效应、内在机制及异质性表现。研究发现:(1)“宽带中国”战略试点政策实施对城市绿色创新效率具有显著的提升作用,并且在一系列稳健性检验后结果依然稳健;(2)劳动力流动和生产性服务业集聚是“宽带中国”战略试点政策实施提高城市绿色创新效率的两种机制;(3)“宽带中国”战略试点政策实施对城市绿色创新效率的促进作用在东部城市、大规模城市、非资源型城市中更强;(4)正式环境规制和非正式环境规制正向调节“宽带中国”战略试点政策实施对城市绿色创新效率的驱动作用。本文为推动数字基础设施建设以及城市绿色创新效率的提升提供了重要政策启示。

数字经济、绿色创新对碳排放强度的影响

数字经济、绿色创新对碳排放强度的降低有一定的作用。通过构建多层次的数字经济发展评价体系,并运用超效率SBM模型、中介效应及门槛效应等方法,基于2008-2021年30个省份面板数据探讨了数字经济、绿色创新对碳排放强度的影响。结果表明:数字经济的发展抑制了碳排放强度,而绿色创新效率在其中发挥了显著的中介效应和门槛效应;不同地区之间绿色创新效率的中介效应存在异质性,东部、中部和西部地区的中介效应呈递减趋势,而东北地区的中介效应则不明显;随着绿色创新效率的增加,数字经济发展对碳排放强度的抑制效果不断增强,表明绿色创新效率在数字经济发展降低碳排放强度的过程中起到关键作用。

数字化转型对企业ESG表现的影响研究

现阶段,通过数字化转型提升ESG表现已成为企业提升竞争力、实现可持续发展的重要策略选择。文章基于2011—2021年我国沪深两市A股制造业上市公司数据实证考察企业数字化转型对ESG表现的影响效应与作用机制。研究结果表明:企业数字化转型对ESG表现具有显著正向效应,且这一结论在进行多项内生性处理和稳健性检验后仍然成立;企业数字化转型主要通过提升企业绿色创新绩效、抑制管理者短视行为及提高资源配置效率三条途径提升ESG表现;分析师关注和媒体关注强化了企业数字化转型对ESG表现的促进作用;基于所有权性质、要素密集度及规模等级的不同,企业数字化转型对ESG表现的影响具有显著异质性。研究结论可为企业推进数字化转型、提升ESG表现提供相应对策建议。