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How Does the Digital Economy Contribute to Regional Green Development in China? Evidence-Based on the Intermediary Effect of Technological Innovation

Author

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  • Dongchu Han

    (School of Business, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China)

  • Mianfang Liu

    (School of Mathematics and Computational Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
    School of Software and Information Engineering, Hunan Software Vocational and Technical University, Xiangtan 411100, China)

Abstract

This study aims to explore how the digital economy contributes to regional green development through the intermediary effect of technological innovation in China. Taking 30 provinces in China as the regional research objects, this study constructed a measurement index system for the development level of the digital economy and green development level and used the intermediary effect model and the threshold effect model for empirical testing. The empirical results show that: (1) the digital economy has a significant positive impact on the green development of China, and the digital economy can effectively promote green development at the provincial level; (2) technological innovation has a significant intermediary effect and a single threshold effect in the process of the green development of provinces driven by the digital economy; (3) the marginal effect of the digital economy on green development has an inflection point, from strong to weak. This study provides a reference for China to further plan the sustainable development strategy and provides experience for the sustainable development of other countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Dongchu Han & Mianfang Liu, 2022. "How Does the Digital Economy Contribute to Regional Green Development in China? Evidence-Based on the Intermediary Effect of Technological Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:18:p:11147-:d:908317
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    Cited by:

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    2. Anjun Hu & Xianzhu Yuan & Shuangshuang Fan & Shali Wang, 2023. "The Impact and Mechanism of Corporate ESG Construction on the Efficiency of Regional Green Economy: An Empirical Analysis Based on Signal Transmission Theory and Stakeholder Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-24, September.
    3. Qiuqiu Guo & Xiaoyu Ma, 2023. "How Does the Digital Economy Affect Sustainable Urban Development? Empirical Evidence from Chinese Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-21, February.

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