IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i7p3127-d1626009.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Digital Economy and Total Factor Productivity of the Manufacturing Industry: From the Perspective of Subdivided Manufacturing Sectors

Author

Listed:
  • Xinxin Chen

    (School of Economics & Management, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China)

  • Jun Shao

    (School of Economics & Management, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China)

Abstract

Global economic change and technological development have made the digital economy a key force for economic growth. With its innovation, penetration, and integration, the digital economy has penetrated into all aspects of the manufacturing industry, bringing opportunities and challenges to the manufacturing industry. Based on the development level of China’s digital economy and manufacturing industry data from 2001 to 2023, using DEA–BCC–Malmquist, this paper studies the impact of the digital economy on the total factor productivity of the manufacturing industry. It is found that the development of the digital economy impacted the total factor productivity of the manufacturing industry, in which cost and innovation research and development played an intermediary effect, and the digital economy has shown a more positive push in technology-intensive and labor-intensive industries than in capital-intensive ones. Based on the findings, this research is designed to empower the manufacturing sector to capitalize on emerging digital economy opportunities while advancing sustainable development goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinxin Chen & Jun Shao, 2025. "The Digital Economy and Total Factor Productivity of the Manufacturing Industry: From the Perspective of Subdivided Manufacturing Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-27, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:3127-:d:1626009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3127/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/3127/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fengliang Li & Khunanan Sukpasjaroen, 2024. "The Impact of the Digital Capability of College Students’ New Enterprises on Business Model Innovation Driven by the Digital Economy: The Mediating Effect of Digital Opportunity Discovery," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-22, April.
    2. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    3. Wei Qian & Huan Liu & Fanghui Pan, 2022. "Digital Economy, Industry Heterogeneity, and Service Industry Resource Allocation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    4. Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2003. "Computing Productivity: Firm-Level Evidence," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 85(4), pages 793-808, November.
    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. Ronald Kumar, 2014. "Exploring the role of technology, tourism and financial development: an empirical study of Vietnam," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2881-2898, September.
    2. Edquist, Harald, 2022. "The economic impact of mobile broadband speed," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    3. Bennett, Benjamin & Stulz, René & Wang, Zexi, 2020. "Does the stock market make firms more productive?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(2), pages 281-306.
    4. Alison Pearson & J. Christina Wang, 2014. "Productivity in the slow lane?: the role of information and communications technology," Current Policy Perspectives 14-10, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    5. Chen, Tsung-Kang & Liao, Hsien-Hsing & Chen, Wei-Lun, 2014. "Production efficiency uncertainty and corporate credit risk: Structural form credit model perspectives," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 266-280.
    6. Matthias Figo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Strukturwandel und regionales Wachstum - wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste als Wachstumsmotor?," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 145, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    7. Kumar, Ronald Ravinesh & Stauvermann, Peter Josef & Samitas, Aristeidis, 2016. "The effects of ICT⁎ on output per worker: A study of the Chinese economy," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 102-115.
    8. Ronald Kumar & Madhukar Singh, 2014. "Role of health expenditure and ICT in a small island economy: a study of Fiji," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 2295-2311, July.
    9. Chou, Yen-Chun & Hao-Chun Chuang, Howard & Shao, Benjamin B.M., 2014. "The impacts of information technology on total factor productivity: A look at externalities and innovations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 290-299.
    10. Qincheng Zhang & Mingzeng Yang, 2023. "Digital Transformation, Top Management Team Heterogeneity, and Corporate Innovation: Evidence from A Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, January.
    11. Ronald Ravinesh Kumar & Peter Josef Stauvermann & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad, 2017. "Can technology provide a glimmer of hope for economic growth in the midst of chaos? A case of Zimbabwe," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 919-939, March.
    12. Ronald Ravinesh Kumar & Peter Josef Stauvermann & Nikeel Kumar & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad, 2019. "Exploring the effect of ICT and tourism on economic growth: a study of Israel," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 221-254, August.
    13. Khanna, Rupika & Sharma, Chandan, 2021. "Do technological investments promote manufacturing productivity? A firm-level analysis for India," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    14. Hongzhong Fan & Md Ismail Hossain, 2018. "Technological Innovation, Trade Openness, CO2 Emission and Economic Growth: Comparative Analysis between China and India," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 8(6), pages 240-257.
    15. Kumar, Ronald Ravinesh & Kumar, Radika Devi & Patel, Arvind, 2015. "Accounting for telecommunications contribution to economic growth: A study of Small Pacific Island States," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 284-295.
    16. Gilbert Cette & Anne Epaulard & Pauline Givord, 2008. "Croissance de la productivité : le rôle des institutions et de la politique économique," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 419(1), pages 3-10.
    17. Alain de Serres & Naomitsu Yashiro & Hervé Boulhol, 2014. "An international perspective on the New Zealand productivity paradox," Working Papers 2014/01, New Zealand Productivity Commission.
    18. Peter Mayerhofer & Matthias Firgo, 2015. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 2: Strukturwandel und regionales Wachstum – Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste als "Wachstumsmotor&," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58503, March.
    19. Young Bong Chang & Vijay Gurbaxani, 2012. "The Impact of IT-Related Spillovers on Long-Run Productivity: An Empirical Analysis," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(3-part-2), pages 868-886, September.
    20. Rao, B. Bhaskara, 2010. "Estimates of the steady state growth rates for selected Asian countries with an extended Solow model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 46-53, January.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:3127-:d:1626009. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.