IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v60y2024ics1544612323012825.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digital economy policy and corporate low-carbon innovation: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

Author

Listed:
  • Hunjra, Ahmed Imran
  • Zhao, Shikuan
  • Goodell, John W.
  • Liu, Xiaoqian

Abstract

We explore whether advances in digitalization of economies further green development by studying the impact of big data policies on low-carbon innovation. Using the low-carbon innovation data of Chinese listed companies from 2011 to 2019, we verify that China's big data comprehensive pilot zones (BDCPZ) policy facilitated corporate low-carbon innovation, especially for state-owned enterprises, low-technology firms, and firms with highly educated CEOs. Findings provide policy insights for the synergistic development of the digital economy and low-carbon innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Zhao, Shikuan & Goodell, John W. & Liu, Xiaoqian, 2024. "Digital economy policy and corporate low-carbon innovation: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:60:y:2024:i:c:s1544612323012825
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2023.104910
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612323012825
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2023.104910?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Assessing the digital economy and its carbon-mitigation effects: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Zhang, Yiren & Ran, Congjing, 2023. "Effect of digital economy on air pollution in China? New evidence from the “National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Area” policy," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 986-1004.
    3. Feng, Yuan & Chen, Zhi & Nie, Changfei, 2023. "The effect of broadband infrastructure construction on urban green innovation: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 581-598.
    4. Duan, Kun & Zhao, Yanqi & Wang, Zhong & Chang, Yujia, 2023. "Asymmetric spillover from Bitcoin to green and traditional assets: A comparison with gold," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1397-1417.
    5. Junming Zhu & Yichun Fan & Xinghua Deng & Lan Xue, 2019. "Low-carbon innovation induced by emissions trading in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Yang, Gangqiang & Nie, Yiming & Li, Honggui & Wang, Haisen, 2023. "Digital transformation and low-carbon technology innovation in manufacturing firms: The mediating role of dynamic capabilities," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    7. Wen Chen, 2023. "Digital economy development, corporate social responsibility and low‐carbon innovation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1664-1679, July.
    8. Chen, Zhonglu & Zhang, Li & Weng, Chen, 2023. "Does climate policy uncertainty affect Chinese stock market volatility?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 369-381.
    9. Su, Zhifang & Guo, Qianqian & Lee, Hsiang-Tai, 2022. "Green finance policy and enterprise energy consumption intensity: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    10. Wu, Bangzheng & Yang, Weiguo, 2022. "Empirical test of the impact of the digital economy on China's employment structure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    11. Guo, Bingnan & Wang, Yu & Zhang, Hao & Liang, Chunyan & Feng, Yu & Hu, Feng, 2023. "Impact of the digital economy on high-quality urban economic development: Evidence from Chinese cities," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Tian, Lichuan & Sun, Kai & Yang, Jie & Zhao, Yang, 2024. "Does digital economy affect corporate ESG performance? New insights from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PB), pages 964-980.
    2. Liu, Baoliu & Huang, Yujie & Chen, Mengmei & Lan, Zirui, 2024. "Towards sustainability: How does the digital-real integration affect regional green development efficiency?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 42-59.
    3. Shen, Hongshan & Qin, Mengyao & Li, Tianyi & Zhang, Xuan & Zhao, Yang, 2024. "Digital finance and industrial structure upgrading: Evidence from Chinese counties," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    4. Fu, Shuke & Ge, Yingchen & Hao, Yu & Peng, Jiachao & Tian, Jiali, 2024. "Energy supply chain efficiency in the digital era: Evidence from China's listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    5. Cao, Lihong & Wang, Yueying & Yu, Jinyi & Zhang, Yikai & Yin, Xiaoye, 2024. "The impact of digital economy on low-carbon transition: What is the role of human capital?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    6. Shi, Peihao & Huang, Qinghua, 2025. "Alignment of words and actions? Government environmental attention and enterprise digital transformation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    7. Xu, Yuanbin & Wei, Yuan & Zeng, Xin & Yu, Haiqing & Chen, Hongjie, 2024. "Big data development and labor income share: Evidence from China's national big data comprehensive pilot zones," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1415-1437.
    8. Zihao Lin, 2024. "Can digital transformation curtail carbon emissions? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Li, Ranran & Li, Yue & Chen, Xueli & Wu, Jian & Song, Malin & Zhou, Yuanxiang, 2025. "Enterprise performance empowered by heterogeneous environmental laws: A digital economy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    10. Chen, Zhiang & Xu, Wenlong, 2025. "The role of the digital economy in enhancing green innovation: Evidence from Chinese A-share listed enterprises," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. Xin Tan & Jinfang Jiao & Ming Jiang & Ming Chen & Wenpeng Wang & Yijun Sun, 2024. "Digital Policy, Green Innovation, and Digital-Intelligent Transformation of Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-23, August.
    12. Wei, Xiahai & Li, Hujian & Wang, Yao, 2024. "Does big data infrastructure development promote new enterprises entry: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    13. Weilong Wang & Jianlong Wang & Haitao Wu, 2025. "Assessing the Impact of New Digital Infrastructure on Enterprise Green Transformation from a Triple Performance Perspective," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(1), pages 5594-5633, March.
    14. 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).
    15. Yuan Feng & Ying Li & Changfei Nie, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and synergy of pollution control and carbon reduction: empirical evidence from digital patents in Chinese cities," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 1-29, December.
    16. Zhang, Liming & Zhao, Yuting & Liu, Liang & Sun, Helin & Wang, Yue, 2025. "The spatial effects of green-innovation coupling and coordinated development from the perspective of digital inclusive finance: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    17. Ren, Jianyu & Xu, Zhitao & Hu, Mingzhi, 2023. "Digital economy and settlement intention of migrants in urban China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    18. Gaofei Wang & Yi Yang, 2024. "Quantitative Evaluation of Digital Economy Policy in Heilongjiang Province of China Based on the PMC-AE Index Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440241, March.
    19. Wang, Bo & Gong, Siyu & Yang, Yang, 2024. "Unveiling the relation between digital technology and low-carbon innovation: Carbon emission trading policy as an antecedent," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    20. Libin Feng & Zhengcheng Sun, 2023. "The Impact of Green Finance Pilot Policy on Carbon Intensity in Chinese Cities—Based on the Synthetic Control Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:finlet:v:60:y:2024:i:c:s1544612323012825. 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.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    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.