Green Growth with Equity: How Low-Carbon City Pilot Policy Builds Coordinated Development Pathways in China

In light of the challenge of imbalanced econometric growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability, the low-carbon city pilot policy offers a scientifically grounded framework for low-carbon development and a practical resolution to the urban evolution paradox. This article employs the Double Machine Learning methodology to examine the impact of the Low-Carbon City Pilot Policy (LCCP) on inclusive green growth (IGG) using data from prefecture-level cities from 2008 to 2021. Empirical evidence supports the assertion that the LCCP significantly contributes to the advancement of IGG in urban regions. Moreover, multiple robustness tests provide additional support for this conclusion. The mechanism tests demonstrate that the LCCP enhances IGG by fostering technological innovation, regional entrepreneurship, and labor structure upgrading. Furthermore, the heterogeneity study shows that the LCCP has a stronger impact on key environmentally protected cities, cities without an old industrial base, and cities without a resource-based economy than on other types of cities. We recommend fostering green innovation, building entrepreneurial ecosystems, and implementing differentiated strategies to establish a more effective low-carbon development strategy.