IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v85y2025icp607-625.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the government digital attention improve China's digital economy output efficiency: Accelerator or inhibitor

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Xiang
  • Yue, Shujing

Abstract

Building "Digital China" is an important engine for promoting China's modernization in the digital era. Studying the government attention to the digital economy is crucial for realizing the value of data elements and promoting the stable and long-term development of the digital economy. This paper uses panel data from Chinese provincial-level administrative regions from 2013 to 2021 as samples to theoretically analyze and empirically investigate the impact and mechanism of government digital attention on digital economy output efficiency. The research findings are as follows: (1) During the inspection period, government digital attention significantly enhances the digital economy output efficiency; specifically, for a 1 unit increase in government digital attention, the digital economy output efficiency increases by 9.99 %. (2) The impact of government digital attention on digital economy output efficiency is more effective in the central and western regions, areas with strong intellectual property protection, and regions with strong political promotion incentives. (3) Government digital attention promotes digital economy output efficiency through data openness mechanism and data flow mechanism. (4) In regions with lower media attention, government digital attention plays a more significant role in improving digital economy output efficiency, acting as a positive substitution role.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Xiang & Yue, Shujing, 2025. "Does the government digital attention improve China's digital economy output efficiency: Accelerator or inhibitor," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 607-625.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:85:y:2025:i:c:p:607-625
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2024.12.020
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S031359262400359X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2024.12.020?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shuming Ren & Lianqing Li & Yueqi Han & Yu Hao & Haitao Wu, 2022. "The emerging driving force of inclusive green growth: Does digital economy agglomeration work?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1656-1678, May.
    2. Franz Huber & Alan Ponce & Francesco Rentocchini & Thomas Wainwright, 2022. "The wealth of (Open Data) nations? Open government data, country-level institutions and entrepreneurial activity," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(8), pages 992-1023, September.
    3. James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2003. "Gravity with Gravitas: A Solution to the Border Puzzle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 170-192, March.
    4. Wang, Chunhua, 2007. "Decomposing energy productivity change: A distance function approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1326-1333.
    5. Hanjin Xie & Xi Tan & Jun Li & Shuang Qu & Chunmei Yang, 2023. "Does Information Infrastructure Promote Low-Carbon Development? Evidence from the “Broadband China” Pilot Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-21, January.
    6. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Zhao, Jun, 2022. "The impact of digital economy on energy transition across the globe: The mediating role of government governance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    7. Zhang, Hongsheng & Wei, Yueling & Ma, Shuzhong, 2021. "Overcoming the “Solow paradox”: Tariff reduction and productivity growth of Chinese ICT firms," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Pastor, Jesus T. & Lovell, C.A. Knox, 2005. "A global Malmquist productivity index," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 266-271, August.
    9. Yang, Shubo & Jahanger, Atif & Usman, Muhammad, 2024. "Examining the influence of green innovations in industrial enterprises on China's smart city development," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    10. Christopher Foster & Shamel Azmeh, 2020. "Latecomer Economies and National Digital Policy: An Industrial Policy Perspective," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(7), pages 1247-1262, June.
    11. Jing Zhao & Wei Wang & Shuhui Zhao, 2024. "Smart Cities and Global Value Chain Upgrading: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-23, March.
    12. Peng, Zihao & Huang, Yiqi & Liu, Luanhong & Xu, Wanli & Qian, Xihong, 2024. "How government digital attention alleviates enterprise financing constraints: An enterprise digitalization perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    13. Zhang, Wenzhe & Liu, Guangqiang, 2023. "Digitalization and firm centralization: A quasi-natural experiment based on the “Broadband China” policy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    14. Herman, Peter R. & Oliver, Sarah, 2023. "Trade, policy, and economic development in the digital economy," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    15. Tone, Kaoru, 2002. "A slacks-based measure of super-efficiency in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(1), pages 32-41, November.
    16. Gruber, Harald, 2019. "Proposals for a digital industrial policy for Europe," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 116-127.
    17. Xuejun Jin & Xiao Pan, 2023. "Government Attention, Market Competition and Firm Digital Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-27, June.
    18. Zhou, Fengxiu & Wen, Huwei & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Broadband infrastructure and export growth," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    19. Wang, Xincheng & Li, Yuan & Tian, Longwei & Hou, Ye, 2023. "Government digital initiatives and firm digital innovation: Evidence from China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    20. Wang, Jiancheng & Chen, Jialing & Li, Xiaoying & Li, Weiping, 2024. "Broadband acceleration and employment: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    21. Li, Jiayi & Ye, Shujun & Zhang, Yujin, 2023. "How digital finance promotes technological innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    22. Meng Qi & Bei Zhang & Junjie Li & Bangfan Liu, 2023. "The Three-Dimensional Analytical and Governance Logic of China’s Digital Divide Bridging Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-24, April.
    23. Xing, Wan & Ye, Xuan & Kui, Lv, 2011. "Measuring convergence of China's ICT industry: An input-output analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 301-313, May.
    24. Yixuan Wang & Qianbin Feng & Lingxi Jiang, 2023. "Broadband infrastructure and local government fiscal risk: evidence from China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(48), pages 5613-5636, October.
    25. Viktorija Skvarciany & Indrė Lapinskait&# & Viktorija Stasytyt&#, 2023. "Efficiency of Digital Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development: DEA-Tobit Approach," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(2), pages 129-158.
    26. William Ocasio, 2011. "Attention to Attention," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1286-1296, October.
    27. Tone, Kaoru & Tsutsui, Miki, 2010. "An epsilon-based measure of efficiency in DEA - A third pole of technical efficiency," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(3), pages 1554-1563, December.
    28. Caihong Yang, 2023. "Digital economy drives regional industrial structure upgrading: Empirical evidence from China’s comprehensive big data pilot zone policy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(12), pages 1-25, December.
    29. Jin, Laiqun & Cao, Kairui & Li, Jiaye & Xu, Qunfang, 2024. "Information infrastructure construction and optimization of resources allocation among firms: Evidence from “Broadband China” strategy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 36-53.
    30. Wang, Qingxi & Hu, An & Tian, Zhihua, 2022. "Digital transformation and electricity consumption: Evidence from the Broadband China pilot policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    31. Xue, Yan & Tang, Chang & Wu, Haitao & Liu, Jianmin & Hao, Yu, 2022. "The emerging driving force of energy consumption in China: Does digital economy development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    32. Tan, Xiujie & Choi, Yongrok & Wang, Banban & Huang, Xiaoqi, 2020. "Does China's carbon regulatory policy improve total factor carbon efficiency? A fixed-effect panel stochastic frontier analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    33. William Ocasio & Tomi Laamanen & Eero Vaara, 2018. "Communication and Attention Dynamics : an Attention-Based View of Strategic Change," Post-Print hal-02312047, HAL.
    34. William Ocasio & Tomi Laamanen & Eero Vaara, 2018. "Communication and attention dynamics: An attention‐based view of strategic change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 155-167, January.
    35. Xiaozhen Pan & Gengxi Xu, 2024. "The impact of managers’ IT experience on the enterprises’ digital transformation: Empirical evidence from China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(30), pages 3652-3668, June.
    36. Ma, Dan & Zhu, Qing, 2022. "Innovation in emerging economies: Research on the digital economy driving high-quality green development," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 801-813.
    37. Toshiyuki Sueyoshi & Mika Goto, 2017. "World trend in energy: an extension to DEA applied to energy and environment," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, December.
    38. Zhang, Kai & Cao, Bin & Guo, Ziyu & Li, Rong & Li, Lianqing, 2024. "Research on the impact of government attention on the digital economy of Chinese provinces," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(2).
    39. Luo, Jigang & Wang, Zhen & Wu, Maohua, 2021. "Effect of place-based policies on the digital economy: Evidence from the Smart City Program in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    40. Tone, Kaoru, 2001. "A slacks-based measure of efficiency in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 498-509, May.
    41. William Ocasio, 1997. "Towards An Attention‐Based View Of The Firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(S1), pages 187-206, July.
    42. Bernd W. Wirtz & Jan C. Weyerer & Marcel Becker & Wilhelm M. Müller, 2022. "Open government data: A systematic literature review of empirical research," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(4), pages 2381-2404, December.
    43. Magdalena Rusch & Josef‐Peter Schöggl & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2023. "Application of digital technologies for sustainable product management in a circular economy: A review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 1159-1174, March.
    44. Filiou, Despoina & Kesidou, Effie & Wu, Lichao, 2023. "Are smart cities green? The role of environmental and digital policies for Eco-innovation in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    45. Sutherland, Will & Jarrahi, Mohammad Hossein, 2018. "The sharing economy and digital platforms: A review and research agenda," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 328-341.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lingyao Wang & Taofeng Wu & Fangrong Ren, 2025. "Exploring the Role of Digital Economy in Energy Optimization of Manufacturing Industry Under the Constraint of Carbon Reduction? Based on Spatial Panel Threshold Hybrid Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-26, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shi, Guanqing & Li, Qiyuan & Wei, Yu & Ali, Madad & Lv, Xinyu, 2024. "Does digital technology advancement promote natural resource utilization efficiency?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. He, Qi & Wang, Chang & Deng, Chan & Zhou, Yifang, 2025. "Insisting or shifting technological trajectory? TMT attention and firms’ innovation responses to technology-forcing policy changes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    3. Xu, Ru-Yu & Wang, Ke-Liang & Miao, Zhuang, 2024. "Exploring the impact of digital industry agglomeration on provincial energy efficiency in China: A panel data analysis from 2012 to 2020," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    4. Li, Boyang & Du, Yuqin & Chen, Guijing, 2025. "Dynamic nexus between urban digitization and pollutant discharge: RBC theory and empirical evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    5. Qin, Quande & Li, Xin & Li, Li & Zhen, Wei & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2017. "Air emissions perspective on energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of China’s coastal areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 604-614.
    6. Angulo-Ruiz, Fernando & Pergelova, Albena & Dana, Leo Paul, 2020. "The internationalization of social hybrid firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 266-278.
    7. Matti Mäntymäki & Sami Hyrynsalmi & Antti Koskenvoima, 2020. "How Do Small and Medium-Sized Game Companies Use Analytics? An Attention-Based View of Game Analytics," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 1163-1178, October.
    8. Zhang, Wei & Liu, Xuemeng & Wang, Die & Zhou, Jianping, 2022. "Digital economy and carbon emission performance: Evidence at China's city level," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    9. Weiqi Dai & Mingqing Liao & Qiao Lin & Jincai Dong, 2022. "Does entrepreneurs’ proactive attention to government policies matter?," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(3), pages 396-431, July.
    10. Souza-Santos, Renato & Carneiro, Jorge & Andersson, Ulf, 2025. "Pursuing headquarters’ attention: Foreign subsidiaries’ strategic issue selling," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(3).
    11. Ricarda B. Bouncken & Martin Ratzmann & Jeffrey G. Covin, 2023. "Fluffy cuffs: SME’s innovation in alliances with buyer firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1231-1251, October.
    12. Yongyi Cheng & Liheng Lu & Tianyuan Shao & Manhong Shen & Laiqun Jin, 2018. "Decomposition Analysis of Factors Affecting Changes in Industrial Wastewater Emission Intensity in China: Based on a SSBM-GMI Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, December.
    13. Matti Mäntymäki & Sami Hyrynsalmi & Antti Koskenvoima, 0. "How Do Small and Medium-Sized Game Companies Use Analytics? An Attention-Based View of Game Analytics," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-16.
    14. Tomi Laamanen, 2019. "Dynamic attention-based view of corporate headquarters in MNCs," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Blankenburg Holm, Desirée & Drogendijk, Rian & Haq, Hammad ul, 2020. "An attention-based view on managing information processing channels in organizations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(2).
    16. Kangkang Yu & Shaobo Hou & Cheng Qian & Lingbo Zhang, 2024. "CEO attention and sustainable development: An analysis of its influence on firm's sustainability orientation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 4042-4056, August.
    17. Wang, Xincheng & Li, Yuan & Tian, Longwei & Hou, Ye, 2023. "Government digital initiatives and firm digital innovation: Evidence from China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    18. Shixiong Cheng & Jiahui Xie & De Xiao & Yun Zhang, 2019. "Measuring the Environmental Efficiency and Technology Gap of PM 2.5 in China’s Ten City Groups: An Empirical Analysis Using the EBM Meta-Frontier Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-22, February.
    19. Kleinknecht, Robert & Haq, Hammad Ul & Muller, Alan R. & Kraan, Karolus O., 2020. "An attention-based view of short-termism: The effects of organizational structure," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 244-254.
    20. Pluchinotta, Irene & Salvia, Giuseppe & Zimmermann, Nici, 2022. "The importance of eliciting stakeholders’ system boundary perceptions for problem structuring and decision-making," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 302(1), pages 280-293.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:85:y:2025:i:c:p:607-625. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.