IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v18y2026i6p3060-d1899793.html

Does the Construction of Smart Cities Promote Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on China’s Smart City Pilot Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Yuyan Shen

    (School of Economics and Management, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China)

  • Guangbin Cheng

    (School of Economics and Management, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China)

  • Siying Li

    (School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Mengyuan Cao

    (Fan Li Business School, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang 473004, China)

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of China’s smart city pilot policy (CSCP) on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) using panel data from 245 cities (2006–2021). Applying the multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method, results show that CSCP significantly promotes GTFEE. CSCP improves urban GTFEE by about 6.18%. Meanwhile, CSCP contributes to the enhancement of GTFEE by stimulating green technological innovation and improving the efficiency of resource allocation. These impacts are particularly evident in cities characterized by higher levels of digitalization, peripherality, and being non-resource-based. The findings provide a framework for advancing urban green transitions and integrating smart and green development strategies, highlighting the importance of technology innovation in global energy governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuyan Shen & Guangbin Cheng & Siying Li & Mengyuan Cao, 2026. "Does the Construction of Smart Cities Promote Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency? A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on China’s Smart City Pilot Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:6:p:3060-:d:1899793
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/6/3060/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/6/3060/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    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:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:6:p:3060-:d:1899793. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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.