Research on the Impact of Public Data Openness on Green Technological Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Machine Learning Methods

With the digital economy emerging as a new driver of high-quality development, unlocking the value of data factors and stimulating innovation momentum has become a key component of national strategy. This study treats the establishment of government open data platforms as an exogenous policy shock reflecting the degree of public data openness. Based on a multidimensional dataset constructed from China’s full patent database covering the period 2003–2022, we empirically examine how public data openness affects green technological innovation. The results indicate that public data openness exerts a significant positive effect on green technological innovation. These conclusions remain robust and consistent after a battery of rigorous robustness checks. In terms of heterogeneity, the impact displays prominent regional disparities: it is more pronounced in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as in non-traditional industrial bases and transport hub cities. Mechanism analysis suggests that public data openness fosters green technological innovation by attracting innovative talents, boosting entrepreneurial dynamism, and advancing governance transparency. These conclusions offer new implications for governments to optimize the provision of public services in the digital era and advance high-quality economic growth.