IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v14y2024i3p21582440241281862.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Digitalization on Investment and Productivity of Manufacturing Industry: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Huwei Wen
  • Yupeng Liu
  • Yutong Liu

Abstract

The global economy is accelerating its transformation from an industrial economy to a digital economy, and the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry has become an important trend worldwide. Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2004 to 2020, this study uses a dynamic panel model to investigate the role of digitization in the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. The empirical results show that digitalization has significantly improved the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of the manufacturing industry, while it has significantly inhibited investment in fixed assets. The analysis of regional heterogeneity shows that in areas with scarce labor, abundant human capital, and areas with high innovation investment, digitalization has a larger effect on promoting productivity and inhibiting the expansion of investment scale. In the regions with more outward foreign direct investment, the effect of digitalization on improving productivity is insignificant, and the effect on inhibiting the expansion of investment scale is larger, implying that there is a risk of industrial hollowing out. Further analysis finds that digitalization improves the GTFP of regional manufacturing through mechanisms such as enhancing innovation capabilities, promoting industrial upgrading, and improving investment efficiency, and reduces manufacturing fixed asset investment through channels such as human capital upgrades and rising labor costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Huwei Wen & Yupeng Liu & Yutong Liu, 2024. "Impact of Digitalization on Investment and Productivity of Manufacturing Industry: Evidence from China," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(3), pages 21582440241, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:3:p:21582440241281862
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440241281862
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440241281862
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440241281862?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Singh, Shiwangi & Sharma, Meenakshi & Dhir, Sanjay, 2021. "Modeling the effects of digital transformation in Indian manufacturing industry," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Zhu, Bangzhu & Zhang, Mengfan & Zhou, Yanhua & Wang, Ping & Sheng, Jichuan & He, Kaijian & Wei, Yi-Ming & Xie, Rui, 2019. "Exploring the effect of industrial structure adjustment on interprovincial green development efficiency in China: A novel integrated approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    3. Zhou, Ya & Shan, Yuli & Liu, Guosheng & Guan, Dabo, 2018. "Emissions and low-carbon development in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cities and their surroundings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1683-1692.
    4. Anwar, Sajid & Sun, Sizhong, 2018. "Foreign direct investment and export quality upgrading in China's manufacturing sector," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 289-298.
    5. David H. Autor, 2015. "Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(3), pages 3-30, Summer.
    6. Yang Liu & Yanlin Yang & Huihui Li & Kaiyang Zhong, 2022. "Digital Economy Development, Industrial Structure Upgrading and Green Total Factor Productivity: Empirical Evidence from China’s Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-23, February.
    7. Zheng-Xin Wang & Peng Hao & Pei-Yi Yao, 2017. "Non-Linear Relationship between Economic Growth and CO 2 Emissions in China: An Empirical Study Based on Panel Smooth Transition Regression Models," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Wu, Ning & Liu, ZuanKuo, 2021. "Higher education development, technological innovation and industrial structure upgrade," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    9. Gefu Liang & Dajia Yu & Lifei Ke, 2021. "An Empirical Study on Dynamic Evolution of Industrial Structure and Green Economic Growth—Based on Data from China’s Underdeveloped Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    10. Petia Topalova & Amit Khandelwal, 2011. "Trade Liberalization and Firm Productivity: The Case of India," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 995-1009, August.
    11. Orlic, Edvard & Hashi, Iraj & Hisarciklilar, Mehtap, 2018. "Cross sectoral FDI spillovers and their impact on manufacturing productivity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 777-796.
    12. Loren Brandt & Johannes Van Biesebroeck & Luhang Wang & Yifan Zhang, 2017. "WTO Accession and Performance of Chinese Manufacturing Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(9), pages 2784-2820, September.
    13. Matthess, Marcel & Kunkel, Stefanie, 2020. "Structural change and digitalization in developing countries: Conceptually linking the two transformations," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    14. Zhou, Fengxiu & Wen, Huwei & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Broadband infrastructure and export growth," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    15. Thuyuyen H. Nguyen & Michael Newby & Michael J. Macaulay, 2015. "Information Technology Adoption in Small Business: Confirmation of a Proposed Framework," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(1), pages 207-227, January.
    16. Gao, Jing & Zhang, Wanfei & Guan, Tao & Feng, Qiuhong & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "The effect of manufacturing agent heterogeneity on enterprise innovation performance and competitive advantage in the era of digital transformation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    17. Wen, Huwei & Zhong, Qiming & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Digitalization, competition strategy and corporate innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    18. Florina Pinzaru & Alina Mihaela Dima & Alexandra Zbuchea & Zoltan Veres, 2022. "Adopting Sustainability and Digital Transformation in Business in Romania: A Multifaceted Approach in the Context of the Just Transition," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(59), pages 1-28.
    19. Dinda, Soumyananda, 2004. "Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis: A Survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 431-455, August.
    20. Fan Yang & Yanming Sun & Yuan Zhang & Tao Wang, 2021. "Factors Affecting the Manufacturing Industry Transformation and Upgrading: A Case Study of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-14, July.
    21. Que, Wei & Zhang, Yabin & Liu, Shaobo, 2018. "The spatial spillover effect of fiscal decentralization on local public provision: Mathematical application and empirical estimation," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 331(C), pages 416-429.
    22. Gereffi, Gary, 1999. "International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 37-70, June.
    23. ElMassah, Suzanna & Mohieldin, Mahmoud, 2020. "Digital transformation and localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    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. Zhang, Aili & Zhu, Han & Sun, Xinyu, 2024. "Manufacturing intelligentization and technological innovation: Perspectives on intra-industry impacts and inter-industry technology spillovers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    2. Lin, Boqiang & Zhou, Yicheng, 2021. "How does vertical fiscal imbalance affect the upgrading of industrial structure? Empirical evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Wang, Di & Ren, Cairu & Zhou, Tao, 2021. "Understanding the impact of land finance on industrial structure change in China: Insights from a spatial econometric analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Baccini, Leonardo & Impullitti, Giammario & Malesky, Edmund J., 2019. "Globalization and state capitalism: Assessing Vietnam's accession to the WTO," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 75-92.
    5. Pei Zhao & Junhua Guo & Yang Wang, 2023. "How Does the Digital Economy Affect Green Development?—Evidence from 284 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-24, July.
    6. Pierre Bachas & Matthew Fisher-Post & Anders Jensen & Gabriel Zucman, 2022. "Globalization and Factor Income Taxation," Working Papers halshs-03693211, HAL.
    7. Zhihui Dai & Yue Niu & Hongru Zhang & Xiaodi Niu, 2022. "Impact of the Transforming and Upgrading of China’s Labor-Intensive Manufacturing Industry on the Labor Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-25, October.
    8. Jingyi Qin & Qingyu Xu, 2024. "The Impact of the Digital Economy on Population Dividends in China: Based on the Dual Perspective of Quantity and Quality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-23, May.
    9. Andrew N. Greenland & Mihai Ion & John W. Lopresti & Peter K. Schott, 2020. "Using Equity Market Reactions to Infer Exposure to Trade Liberalization," NBER Working Papers 27510, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Zhao, Shuang & Zhang, Liqun & Peng, Lin & Zhou, Haiyan & Hu, Feng, 2024. "Enterprise pollution reduction through digital transformation? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing enterprises," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    11. Bas, Maria & Strauss-Kahn, Vanessa, 2015. "Input-trade liberalization, export prices and quality upgrading," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 250-262.
    12. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan, 2023. "Digitalization and global value chain participation: firm-level evidence from Indian manufacturing," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 50(3), pages 551-574, September.
    13. Chen, Cheng & Steinwender, Claudia, 2021. "Import competition, heterogeneous preferences of managers, and productivity," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    14. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Tang, Manting & Lee, Chi-Chuan, 2023. "Reaping digital dividends: Digital inclusive finance and high-quality development of enterprises in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(2).
    15. Lu, Jiankun & Zhang, Hongsheng & Meng, Bo, 2021. "Corruption, firm productivity, and gains from import liberalization in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    16. Liu, Mengdi & Tan, Ruipeng & Zhang, Bing, 2021. "The costs of “blue sky”: Environmental regulation, technology upgrading, and labor demand in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    17. repec:zbw:bofitp:2019_007 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Cali,Massimiliano & Le Moglie,Marco & Presidente,Giorgio, 2021. "Gain without Pain ? Non-Tariff Measures, Plants’ Productivity and Markups," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9654, The World Bank.
    19. Li, Juncheng & Qin, Xiuting & Tang, Jian & Yang, Lu, 2022. "Foreign trade and innovation sustainability: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Ahmadova, Gozal & Delgado-Márquez, Blanca L. & Pedauga, Luis E. & Leyva-de la Hiz, Dante I., 2022. "Too good to be true: The inverted U-shaped relationship between home-country digitalization and environmental performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    21. Bas, Maria & Paunov, Caroline, 2021. "Disentangling trade reform impacts on firm market and production decisions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).

    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:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:3:p:21582440241281862. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.