How do countries’ network positions in global digital service trade affect carbon emissions: a social network perspective

While the ecological benefits of global digital service trade are widely acknowledged, few studies have explored the relationship between countries’ network positions in global digital service trade network and carbon emissions. This study addresses this gap by assuming the complex network structure of the global digital service trade and investigating the impact of a country’s network position on its carbon emissions. By drawing on the social network analysis framework, the key indicators of centrality and structural hole are identified to gauge a country’s network position. Our findings reveal a significant negative association between a country’ network position and its carbon emissions, mediated by scale effect, energy structure effect, and technology effect. Heterogeneity analyses confirm this relationship’ robustness across both OECD and non-OECD economies. Regionally, enhanced centrality reduces emissions in the Americas, Africa, and Asia-Oceanian nations, while Europe benefits from structural holes’ brokerage capabilities. Sectorally, centrality-driven emission reductions dominate telecommunications, computing, and information industry, whereas structural holes prove more effective in the use of intellectual property and other business sectors. These insights advance scholarly understanding and inform policies for leveraging digital trade networks toward decarbonization goals.