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Digital economy development, corporate social responsibility and low‐carbon innovation

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  • Wen Chen

Abstract

The coordinated development of digitization and greening is the internal demand for the comprehensive transformation and upgrading of enterprises worldwide. Based on data of China's A‐share listed companies from 2012 to 2019, this article empirically confirms the stimulating effect of digital economy development on corporate low‐carbon innovation. The mechanism tests show that the above stimulating effect is due to both the reduction effects of financing constraints and environmental uncertainty brought by the rapid development of the digital economy. In addition, this article discusses the value of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and finds that the promotion of CSR can significantly improve the policy effect of digital economy development in enabling corporate low‐carbon innovation, especially for private listed enterprises in high‐pollution industries. The findings of this article deepen our understanding of how to promote corporate low‐carbon sustainable development in the digital era.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen Chen, 2023. "Digital economy development, corporate social responsibility and low‐carbon innovation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1664-1679, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:30:y:2023:i:4:p:1664-1679
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2443
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    4. Nooseng, Mingkhwan & Du, Danli, 2026. "Impacts of green finance policy on enterprise low-carbon transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Wu, Ziqing & Chen, Leyi & Shi, Lingpeng, 2026. "When the bordering levee breaks: The impact of floods on corporate financialization in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    6. Hai Huang & Shengbin Hao, 2025. "Enterprise digital transformation and sustainable development performance: The asymmetric roles of top management team faultlines," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 1670-1685, April.
    7. Deheng Xiao & Can Zhang & Yongjian Huang, 2024. "Digital economy policy and enterprise digital transformation: Evidence from innovation and structural effect," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(4), pages 2348-2359, June.
    8. Huang, Wei & Yang, Fan & Zhu, Yixin, 2025. "Digital economy and entrusted loans: Evidence from shadow banking," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    9. Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Zhao, Shikuan & Goodell, John W. & Liu, Xiaoqian, 2024. "Digital economy policy and corporate low-carbon innovation: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    10. Zhang, Liming & Zhao, Yuting & Liu, Liang & Sun, Helin & Wang, Yue, 2025. "The spatial effects of green-innovation coupling and coordinated development from the perspective of digital inclusive finance: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    11. Guomin Song & Fengyan Wang & Feng Dong, 2024. "Can digital economy foster synergistic increases in green innovation and corporate value? Evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-29, June.
    12. Li, Yue & Li, Zhengyi & Yan, Yingchuan, 2025. "Online media supervision, development of digital finance, and corporate social responsibility," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).

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