The impact of poverty alleviation policy on the industrial structure: Evidence from the Qinba Mountain contiguous poverty-stricken areas

In 2015, the Chinese government issued the Decision on Poverty Alleviation(DPA), requiring poverty-stricken areas to develop local characteristic industries based on their resource endowments, to promote industrial structure diversification and industrial structure upgrading through industry-driven poverty alleviation. However, existing research lacks empirical analysis to evaluate it. Therefore, this paper takes poor counties in the Qinba Mountain contiguous poverty-stricken areas(QMCPA) as an example, using the difference in difference model and boundary effect model to evaluate whether DPA has promoted industrial structure upgrading and industrial structure diversification in poor counties. The results show that the DPA has promoted industrial structure upgrading and improved industrial structure diversification in the QMCPA. However, the effectiveness of it is not sufficient. Poor counties have failed to maintain the policy requirement of developing characteristic industries based on local natural resource endowments, leading to a decline in the degree of industrial structure diversification in the later period of the policy. This study indicates that local governments should strive to develop advantageous industries and form a division of labor and cooperation with neighboring areas, strengthen inter-regional cooperation and contact, and enhance anti-risk capabilities to avoid homogenized competition. Studying the changes in industrial structure in the QMCPA has important significance for the long-term stable development and poverty elimination of various poor areas.

Path to pollution and carbon reduction synergy from the perspective of the digital economy: Fresh evidence from 292 prefecture-level cities in China

The digital economy is a crucial focus for realizing the transformation of old and new kinetic energy in China. It is widely integrated with various fields of the economy and society, constantly providing a new dynamic mechanism with synergetic control of environmental pollution and carbon emissions (SCEPCE). Based on panel data from 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, this study discusses the spatial effects and mechanisms of the digital economy on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. The study found that: (1) The digital economy has direct and indirect influences on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. The digital economy can drive reductions in pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions by upgrading industrial structures and transforming energy structures. (2) Green innovation plays an active regulatory role in the digital economy and structural optimization, particularly in the context of SCEPCE. This interference helps mitigate the impact of the digital economy on pollution and carbon emissions. (3) The digital economy has a significant spatial spillover effect on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. (4) The influence mechanism of the digital economy on pollution reduction and carbon reduction synergy exhibits geographical heterogeneity, resource endowment heterogeneity. To enhance the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, it is essential to bolster support and optimise the digital economy at various levels. This includes reinforcing regional balance, considering spatial spillover effects, and enhancing the leading role of developed cities in the region.

Environmental regulation, land use efficiency and industrial structure upgrading: Test analysis based on spatial durbin model and threshold effect

Environmental regulation promotes industrial structure change and regional economic transformation through land use adjustment, which gets a new way to explore the path of reforming traditional industrialization and urbanization. Based on the panel data of 128 prefecture-level cities in China 's Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2000 to 2020, this paper uses the spatial Dubin model to analyze the impact of environmental regulation and land use efficiency on the upgrading of industrial structure, and sets the panel threshold model to examine the impact of environmental regulation on the upgrading of industrial structure by affecting land use efficiency. The results show that formal environmental regulation has a significant positive spatial effect on the rationalization and upgrading of industrial structure, which are 0.1734 and 0.2854 respectively. Informal environmental regulation has a negative spillover effect on neighboring provinces but not significant. Heterogeneous environmental regulation has obvious "double threshold effect" on industrial upgrading by affecting land use efficiency. When the threshold of environmental regulation intensity is 0.0315-0.0886, environmental regulation still inhibits land use efficiency and industrial structure upgrading. When the threshold value is greater than 0.0886, environmental regulation has a positive impact on land use efficiency but not significant. With the intensity of environmental regulation from weak to strong, it will produce a double threshold effect of "strong inhibition-weak inhibition-interaction promotion" on the upgrading of manufacturing structure through the adjustment of land use efficiency.

The impact of environmental regulations on the upgrading of the industrial structure: Evidence from China

China's economy has transitioned into a phase of high-quality development, with enhancing its industrial structure becoming a critical objective. We gathered panel data from 30 major provinces in China from 2010 to 2020 and employed the fixed effects model to assess the actual influence of environmental regulations on industrial structure upgrading. Our empirical findings show that the impacts of various environmental regulations on industrial structure upgrading in China are significantly different. Mandatory environmental regulation demonstrates an inverted U-shaped nonlinear correlation with the upgrading level of the entire industrial structure. When the intensity of this regulation is low, it significantly accelerates industrial structure upgrading. As the intensity of this regulation rises, its effect on industrial structure upgrading is inhibitory. In contrast, induced environmental regulation exhibits a nonlinear U-shaped relationship with industrial structure upgrading and shows a nonlinear change trend of first decreasing and then rising. When the intensity of induced environmental regulation reaches a certain critical point and continues to increase, it will change from a negative influence on the upgrading of the industrial structure to a promoting effect. The further discussion of threshold regression and the robustness test also led to similar conclusions. The above research is conducive to the Chinese government's rational use of environmental regulation tools to promote industrial structure upgrading. It is also beneficial to developing countries, allowing them to learn from China's experience to improve the effectiveness of environmental regulation and boost their industrial development.

How does the digital economy affect the provincial "zero-waste city" construction? Evidence from China

The digital economy is playing a crucial effect in the field of environmental governance. Digital and intelligent management is an essential means to fully realize the "zero-waste city" construction. The present paper investigates the impact of digital economy on China's provincial "zero-waste city" construction. The results indicate that digital economy can contribute to "zero-waste city" construction. The digital economy has a positive nonlinear effect on the construction of "zero-waste city," but the marginal effect is diminishing. The digital economy can facilitate "zero-waste city" construction by improving industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that digital economy contributes to the construction of "zero-waste city" in the eastern and western regions and high-level environmental regulation regions, while this impact is insignificant in the central region and low-level environmental regulation regions. The digital economy exerts the most significant positive influence on waste resource recycling followed by waste final disposal and then waste reduction at the source. These findings underscore the effect of digital economy in fostering "zero-waste city" construction and promoting sustainable waste management. The present study provides new ideas for the "zero-waste city" construction in emerging developing countries such as China.

Can carbon emission trading policy break China's urban carbon lock-in?

Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil energy are the main drivers of global warming. China's dominant consumption of fossil energy necessitates adjustments in its energy consumption structure to break free from the carbon lock-in (CLI) phenomenon. Market-based environmental regulations, represented by the carbon trading market (CTM), play an important role in achieving the dual carbon goals of China. Using panel data of 270 prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2020, this study applies a difference-in-difference model to identify the effect of CTM on urban CLI, analyze its transmission mechanism, and further examine the impact of urban characteristic heterogeneity on policy effects from multiple perspectives. Results show that the construction of CTM significantly reduces the degree of CLI of pilot cities; (2) CTM mainly affects urban CLI by promoting urban green technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and public green behavior; and (3) the inhibitory effect of CTM on CLI is more significant in cities with high carbon price, industrialization, and digital finance levels. The primary paths toward realizing carbon unlocking include optimizing the institutional design for CTM, enhancing the effective promotion and application of low-carbon technologies, cultivating the green awareness of the public, and increasing government investments in energy-saving and emission reduction techniques.

The impact of digital infrastructure on provincial green innovation efficiency-empirical evidence from China

In the epoch of the digital economy, technological innovation and energy conservation are significantly facilitated by digital infrastructure, leading to substantial improvements in green innovation efficiency at the provincial level. This study employed the feasible generalized least square (FGLS) method to examine the effects of digital infrastructure on the green innovation efficiency across 30 provinces in the Chinese mainland, utilizing panel data from 2011 to 2020. Additionally, this investigation delves into the intervening role of industrial structure upgrading and the amplifying effects of environmental regulation and human capital on the process. Findings indicate that, to begin with, digital infrastructure contributes to the meaningful enhancement of green innovation efficiency within provinces. Subsequently, the industrial structure upgrading partially mediates the impact of digital infrastructure on the efficiency of provincial green innovation. Lastly, both human capital and environmental regulations amplify the beneficial influence of digital infrastructure on the effectiveness of green innovation at the provincial level. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms through which digital infrastructure boosts green innovation efficiency, aiding policymakers in formulating appropriate policies to augment digital infrastructure, thereby promoting provincial green innovation efficiency.

Re-evaluating the impact and mechanism of digital economy on regional pollution intensity from the perspective of spatial spillover

Based on the panel data of 259 cities across China from 2011 to 2019, the study investigates the long-run impact of digital economy on regional pollution intensity by employing multiple models. The estimation results reveal that (1) the relatively heavily polluted areas are concentrated in the north, especially in the northeast of China; the overall pollution intensity is decreasing year by year at the national level; (2) the development of digital economy can significantly contribute to the reduction of regional pollution intensity and it has a statistically significant negative spatial spillover effect on the pollution intensity of neighboring cities; (3) mechanism analysis shows that the development of digital economy not only has a direct effect on the reduction of pollution intensity but also promotes the reduction through the channel of industrial structure upgrading and green technology progress; (4) the results of threshold model suggest that as the level of development of the digital economy increases, its marginal inhibitory effect of promoting the decrease in pollution intensity will diminish; (5) heterogeneity analysis shows that the development of digital economy makes the strongest marginal contribution to pollution intensity reduction in the northeast region. Finally, the conclusions remain valid after controlling for exogenous shocks such as "smart city" policy, various robustness, and endogeneity tests.

Heterogeneity effects of environmental regulation policy synergy on ecological resilience: considering the moderating role of industrial structure

Given the great importance attached to ecological civilization and green development, exploring the heterogeneous effects of environmental regulation policy synergy on ecological resilience holds significance for improving environmental protection and the design of environmental policies. Based on the policy synergy perspective, this paper uses 30 provinces (municipalities and autonomous) in China as the research sample. Bayesian quantile regression is employed to explore the heterogeneous effects of environmental regulation policy synergy on ecological resilience from 2007 to 2021, and the moderating effect of the industrial structure is examined. The results indicate the following: (1) there is significant heterogeneity and variability in the effect of environmental regulation policy synergy on ecological resilience. Specifically, the effects of policy mixes 12, 13, and 23 on ecological resilience shows a U-shaped trend, while the impact of policy mix 123 on ecological resilience shows a positive effect. (2) There are significant differences in the effects of environmental regulation policy synergy under different quantiles of ecological resilience. Taking policy mix 12 as an example, we find that the effect of policy synergy on ecological resilience tends to decrease and then increase at a lower quantile. Additionally, the effect of policy synergy on ecological resilience tends to be positive at a higher quantile. (3) There are significant differences in the moderating effects of the industrial structure. Policy mix 12 can effectively enhance ecological resilience through industrial structure upgrading, while the moderating effects of alternative policy combinations are deemed insufficient. Finally, relevant policy recommendations are proposed to effectively improve ecological resilience.

Does green credit help reduce smog pollution? Empirical evidence from China

As a resource production factor in environmental governance activities, can green credit help reduce smog pollution? Based on China's provincial panel data from 2006 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of green credit on smog pollution by using an OLS regression model and a spatial Durbin model. The results show that green credit helps to reduce smog pollution overall; Industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation are two critical paths for green credit to reduce smog pollution. The analysis of period heterogeneity finds that the descending effect of green credit on smog pollution becomes more significant after the transformation of China's economic development stage. The regional heterogeneity analysis finds that the descending effect of green credit on smog pollution is more significant in non-low-carbon pilot provinces and regions with lower economic development levels. In addition, green credit not only helps to reduce local smog pollution but also has a spatial spillover effect of "benefiting thy neighbors" on smog pollution in geographically neighboring areas. This study provides important inspiration for the government to further promote the innovation of green financial instruments and promote the improvement of environmental governance performance, provides decision-making references for different regions to implement differentiated green credit strategies to improve ambient air quality, and provides an experience reference for the development of green finance and environmental governance in emerging market countries.

Digital economy impact on inclusive green growth: intermediary and spatial spillover effects in China

As a new economic form that has emerged from the technological and digital revolution, the digital economy has great benefits to the green development of the economy, protection of the ecological environment, and improvement in social well-being. This study examines whether the digital economy affects the inclusive green growth (IGG). Measurement index system for the digital economy and IGG from 2013 to 2020 in China was constructed and the entropy evaluation method and super-efficiency epsilon-based measure (Super-EBM) model was used to evaluate them. We examined the direct effect, mediation effect, and spatial spillover effect of the digital economy on IGG using the basic regression model, mediating effect model, and the spatial Durbin model. Our results revealed that the development of the digital economy has clear regional differences. The role of digital economy on IGG has positive direct effects and positive spatial spillover effects. The digital economy affects IGG through industrial structure upgrading, so industrial structure upgrading has a significant intermediary effect. By comparing the coefficients, we found that the spatial spillover effects are stronger than the direct effects. Absorbing the spillover of the digital economy in surrounding areas is particularly important for promoting IGG. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the digital economy is better for IGG and releases more digital dividends in eastern China. Finally, the research conclusions of this paper provide reference for the Chinese government to formulate relevant policies to deepen the integration of digital information technology and IGG, and promote the coordinated development of regional digital economy and IGG.

Does green finance reduce environmental pollution?-a study based on China's provincial panel data

As a bridge between economy and ecology, green finance is vital in improving environmental quality and promoting sustainable development. Based on the building of an environmental pollution index system, this paper constructs the [Formula: see text] model to deeply explore the specific impact of green finance on environmental pollution using China's provincial panel data from 2007 to 2020. This paper constructs an intermediary model to test the impact mechanism of green finance on reducing environmental pollution and discusses the regional heterogeneity of green finance in reducing environmental pollution. The results show that (1) green finance can significantly reduce environmental pollution, among which green credit has a pronounced effect on reducing environmental pollution, green investment has a relatively small effect, and green securities have not significant effect. (2) Green finance has the best inhibitory effect on solid pollution, less inhibitory effect on air pollution, and no significant improvement effect on water pollution. (3) Green technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and environmental regulation play an intermediary role in the process of green finance reducing environmental pollution and improving environmental quality. (4) The effect of green finance in the eastern and carbon emission pilot areas is significantly better than in the central and western regions and non-carbon emission pilot areas respectively. According to the research results of this paper, suggestions are put forward to promote the development of green finance, which is of great significance to reducing environmental pollution and achieving sustainable development goals.

A tripartite game analysis of industrial structure upgrading and green development of regional economy: A case study of Shanxi Province, China

In the contemporary context, both the upgrading of the industrial structure and the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices within the regional economy have emerged as central avenues for achieving quality development. This study examines the strategic behavior of local governments, capital, and people through the construction of a tripartite evolutionary game model. Subsequently, six different evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) are subjected to a comprehensive analysis. Finally, the parameters influencing the strategic decisions of each party are meticulously examined through simulation. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: First, it is shown that under appropriate conditions, all three entities support the scenario of stable development prospects associated with industrial structure upgrading (1, 1, 1). Second, the strategic choices made by capital and people depend on several factors, including existing profits, future benefits, and the costs associated with transformation. At the same time, local governments show a propensity to adopt incentive strategies. Ultimately, the research underscores the pronounced impact of future benefits, transformation costs, and the probability of success in industrial upgrading on all stakeholders, shaping their evolutionary trajectories and results. In particular, the probability of successful industrial structure upgrading exerts the greatest influence on evolutionary trajectories, while the possibility of government imposing carbon taxes and initial willingness primarily determine the evolutionary trajectory. This paper attempts to provide a new perspective on industrial structure upgrading and green development of the regional economy by combining evolutionary game theory and scenario analysis methods to promote the process of industrial structure upgrading and sustainable development.

The impact of carbon emission trading policy on energy efficiency-evidence from China

Energy efficiency (EE) plays an important role in achieving the dual-carbon goal, and improving EE is thus indispensable. This paper evaluates the impact of carbon emission trading policy (CETP) on EE based on a difference-in-difference (DID) method, using 16-year data of 30 provinces and cities from 2005 to 2020. Conclusions are as follows: (1) CETP significantly promotes EE, and this conclusion still appears valid after robustness tests. (2) The positive impact of CETP on EE is more effective in regions of high foreign direct investment (FDI) and high government intervention (GOVI). (3) The positive impact of CETP on EE is through impact mechanisms of energy structure adjustment (ESA), green innovation (GI), and industrial structure upgrading (ISU). The findings in this paper may enrich current research in CETP and offer more pragmatic suggestions for policy advancement as well.

Spatial mismatch and its evolution of new energy consumption, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon carrying capacity

In view of the problems of insufficient exploitation of carbon emission reduction potential and low-carbon emission reduction efficiency caused by the spatial mismatch of economy, society, and ecological environment, this study used the ArcGIS10.8 intuitive expression tool, the barycenter model, and the spatial mismatch index to systematically investigate the spatial-temporal pattern and its spatial mismatch characteristics of new energy consumption, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon carrying capacity in 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2019. The findings of this study included mainly the following aspects. (1) The new energy consumption level showed the significant differences in spatial aggregation. The industrial structure upgrading level decreased from the southeast to the northwest. The carbon carrying state showed the gradual geographical evolution characteristics of the empty load, suitable basic load, suitable load, and overload from the southeast to the northwest. (2) The barycenter of new energy consumption shifted from the south to the north; the barycenter of industrial structure upgrading presented a phased migration trajectory of first to the northwest, then to the south, and then to the southwest; the barycenter of carbon carrying capacity oscillated from the southwest to the northeast. (3) Provinces with the positive mismatch of new energy consumption, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon carrying capacity were widely distributed, but provinces with the negative mismatch were sporadically distributed. The spatial mismatch degree of the three elements tended to expand on the whole, but the direction and magnitude of change were different. The high mismatch areas showed a trend of agglomeration in eastern coastal economic circles such as the Bohai Rim, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta. Moreover, the high mismatch areas showed a trend of westward spread. (4) The contribution of province to the overall spatial mismatch decreased from the eastern to the western. This study would provide a reference for the related research on carbon peaking, carbon neutrality, and the coordinated high-quality development between economy-society and ecological environment.

Can the green finance improve export green-sophistication? New insights from China

The green financial policy is one of the important policy tools for China to achieve the national carbon peak goal and carbon neutrality through financial means. How financial development affects the growth of international trade has been an important research topic. This paper uses the Pilot Zones for Green Finance Reform and Innovations (PZGFRI) implemented in 2017 as a natural experiment drawing on the relevant data of Chinese provinces' panel data from 2010 to 2019. It adopts a difference in difference (DID) model to assess the impact of green finance on export green-sophistication (EGS). The results report that the PZGFRI significantly improves EGS, and the result remains robust after robustness checks such as parallel trend and placebo. The PZGFRI improves EGS by boosting total factor productivity, industrial structure upgrading, and green technology innovation. Moreover, the role of PZGFRI in promoting EGS is significantly reflected in the central and western regions and the regions with low-marketization levels. This study confirms that green finance is an important factor influencing the quality improvement of China's exports, which provides effective evidence from the reality level for China to vigorously promote the construction of a green financial system in recent years.

The impact of human capital on green economic efficiency: evidence from 280 prefectural cities in China

Balancing economic growth with resources and the environment to achieve sustainable development is a key issue in the development of all countries, and researchers are trying to find feasible development paths. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of human capital levels on green economic efficiency (GEE) and the underlying mechanisms in 280 prefecture-level cities in China and covering the 2003-2019 period. In addition, we calculate GEE including undesired outputs based on a super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model, and we construct panel regression and moderating effect models for empirical studies. The results of the baseline regression study show that the improvement in the human capital level contributes to the GEE of prefecture-level cities. Among the control variables, the economic development level, foreign direct investment (FDI), city size, and the science and technology innovation (STI) level positively affect GEE, while industrialization and environmental regulation negatively affect GEE. The study results concerning the mechanism of action indicate that industrial structure upgrading plays a positive moderating role. That is, industrial structure upgrading can strengthen the effect of human capital on GEE, which is further clarified. This study suggests that government policies must favor the cultivation of high-level human capital, especially in the environmental protection industry, and that talent support strategies should be differentiated between regions to promote industrial structure upgrading and human capital matching through green technology development. Modern human capital theory reveals the important role of human capital in improving economic efficiency and provides new ideas for achieving sustainable development. This paper explores the role of human capital in improving the GEE based on the human capital perspective, which is important for research on the pathways to achieve sustainable development.

Is the development of digital finance conducive to reducing haze pollution? Empirical evidence from 284 cities in China

Using the panel data of 284 cities from 2011 to 2020 in China, this research statistically tests the direct impact and internal mechanism of digital finance on urban haze pollution. The results show the following: (1) the development of digital finance can significantly inhibit the concentration of urban haze, and there is a stronger inhibitory effect in areas where the government pays more emphasis to haze pollution and in cities with high levels; (2) after mechanism inspection, it is found that digital finance can indirectly promote urban haze pollution by influencing green innovation, cooperative innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and producer service agglomeration; (3) the results of the spatial econometric analysis show that digital finance can suppress the haze concentration in the region and simultaneously inhibit the neighboring areas through spillover effects; (4) further inspection shows that the spatial spillover effect of digital finance on haze pollution has an obvious spatial attenuation feature, demonstrating that a dense area of spatial spillover is within 310 km. The spillover effect gradually disappears when the threshold is exceeded.

How does environmental regulation affect industrial structure upgrading? Evidence from prefecture-level cities in China

This study examines whether and how environmental regulation affects industrial structure upgrading with a panel data of 270 cities between 2006 and 2019. We first adopt two indicators-rationalization and advancement-to quantify industrial structure upgrading and then use kernel density estimation as well as trend surface analysis to investigate these indicators' spatial-temporal pattern. With a spatial Durbin model, we find that environmental regulation has inverted U-shaped and U-shaped direct impacts on rationalization and advancement, and inverted U-shaped indirect impacts on both rationalization and advancement in neighboring regions. Moreover, our subsample tests demonstrate that environmental regulation has various impacts on industrial structure upgrading in different regions. Last, a mediating effect analysis shows that technological innovation is an important path for environmental regulation to promote advancement. Our study provides new evidence for the Porter hypothesis, and offers suggestions for the authorities to formulate and optimize environmental regulation intensity.

Analysis on spatial effect of environmental regulation on upgrading of industrial structure in China

Transformation and upgrading of industrial structure is the key link to achieve high-quality economic development in China. In recent years, China has begun to eliminate some industries with high energy consumption and high pollution through environmental regulation policies and promote transformation and upgrading the industrial structure. Under multiple pressures such as the shortage of industrial structure and the decline in the demographic dividend, environmental regulation as a binding force will have an significant impact on ecological protection and economic structure adjustment. With the promotion of the inter-regional integration strategy, the links between various regions are becoming closer and closer. Therefore, the environmental regulation policies implemented by the government will not only affect the region, but can also impact neighboring regions. So, how will environmental regulation affect the optimization of industrial structure in the local and surrounding areas and the mechanism and pathways of its impact are theoretical topics worthy of in-depth study, which have important practical significance for exploring the win-win sustainable development path of industrial structure optimization and ecological protection. This paper selects the data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2009 to 2019, analyses their spatial distribution characteristics, and establishes a spatial Dubin model to explore the spatial effect of environmental regulation intensity on the upgrading of local and adjacent regional industrial structure. The research results show that: (1) China's environmental regulation policy is not developed independently, but has certain relevance in space, that is, regions with higher environmental regulation intensity are adjacent to each other, and regions with lower environmental regulation are adjacent to each other; (2) The intensity of environmental regulation does not directly promote or inhibit the transformation and upgrading of the local industrial structure, but has a positive spatial spillover effect on the upgrading of the industrial structure in the surrounding areas; (3) The impact of environmental regulation policies on the upgrading of industrial structure is mainly reflected through indirect effects.

How does digital finance affect industrial structure upgrading? Evidence from Chinese prefecture-level cities

Digital finance is playing an increasingly prominent role in economic development. This paper examines the impact of digital finance on industrial structure upgrading based on panel data from 289 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020. The paper adopts fixed effects, mediating effects, and spatial econometric models and the findings are as follows. First, digital finance development significantly boosts industrial structure upgrading in Chinese cities. The evidence remains valid after various robustness tests. Second, digital finance and industrial structure upgrading exhibit positive spatial spillover effects. Third, digital finance indirectly affects industrial structure upgrading through innovation, entrepreneurship and the structure of household consumption channels. Fourth, the influence of digital finance is more significant in cities with more developed economies, less financialization and lower income inequality. Finally, among the sub-indicators of digital finance, the breadth of coverage plays the most significant role, inspiring policymakers and financial institutions to speed up the digitization infrastructure in backward areas.

Fiscal decentralization, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon emissions: evidence from China

The debate over the role of fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading in China's environmental governance has received increasing attention. Based on China's provincial panel data from 2003 to 2019, this paper investigates the impact of fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading on carbon emissions to provide empirical evidence for the above theoretical argument. The results show that fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading are negatively correlated with carbon emissions, while the interaction term for fiscal decentralization with industrial structure upgrading presents a facilitating effect on carbon emissions. Besides, fiscal decentralization, industrial structure upgrading, and the interaction term have significant regional heterogeneity on carbon emissions. When fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading are taken as threshold variables, the effects of industrial structure upgrading and fiscal decentralization are significantly nonlinear. Moreover, environmental regulation, transportation infrastructure, and carbon emissions are positively correlated. There exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth, which proves environmental Kuznets curve theorem. However, FDI and urbanization have no significant effect on carbon emissions. According to the above conclusions, it is necessary to strengthen the positive interaction between fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading in mitigating carbon emissions, promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of China's economy, thus realizing the goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality."

Analysis of modern circulation industry development level using industrial structure mechanism

This study focuses on China's industrial transformation and urban income inequality. It is shown that between 2011 and 2020, improvements in China's industrial structure have a significant positive influence on lowering income gaps between urban and rural areas when used in conjunction with the empirical research approach. The mechanical study shows that the urban population impacts this causation. Rural-to-urban economic gaps have been reduced through modernisation in different parts of the country. The result remains the same even if the urban-rural consumption gap is used as a proxy for income discrepancy. The mechanism for the industrial structure upgrading model (MISUM) is proposed in this article for the modern circulation industry. Key contributions include: (1) environmental rules in these components have no impact on each other, but the updating of industrial buildings indicates a substantial location-specific dependence; (2) environmental standards have impacts on industrial structures throughout provinces; and (3) environmental standards have a long-term qualifying impact on the industrial structures. This essay focuses on combining environmental regulation with industrial expansion in different regions. In this study, government environmental requirements for industrial structural improvements are shown to be in operation. The test results show the MISUM has been described with high accuracy of 94.2%, carbon emission level of 18%, soil emission level of 11% and efficiency ratio of 97.8% compared to other methods.

Effects of urban land intensive use on carbon emissions in China: spatial interaction and multi-mediating effect perspective

Land intensive use is important for sustainable land use while carbon emission is a constraint to achieve carbon neutrality; they are closely related and committed to sustainable socioeconomic development. The spatial interactions and complex mechanisms between them make it difficult to clarify their relationship precisely. This paper combines the spatial Durbin model and mediating effect model to describe the effects of urban land intensive use (ULIU) on carbon emissions (CEs) for 30 provinces in China during 1995-2018. An inverse U-shaped relationship between ULIU and CEs is proved while considering the spatial interaction. All the provincial observed values of ULIU are less than the inflection point of the curve, which means that the improvement of the ULIU will cause more CEs. Meanwhile, ULIU has multi-indirect effects on CEs, with urbanization and industrial structure upgrading playing mediating roles in the mechanism. The spatial spillover effects of CEs per unit area on the neighboring provinces are negative, indicating that the interregional influence cannot be ignored. These findings have theoretical and practical significance as they reveal the multi-effects of ULIU on CEs. To realize carbon emission reduction effectively, more attention should be paid to improving the intensity of the urban land and strengthening the regional cooperation.

How does export composition improvement affect carbon dioxide emissions in BRI countries? The mediating role of industrial structure upgrading and the moderating role of intellectual property protection

Climate change, caused by carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, has become increasingly severe and is a serious constraint on the sustainable development of the global economy. Economists are aware of the close relationship between export trade and the growth of CO₂ emissions, especially for the Belt and Road Initiative countries that are experiencing economic growth and transformation. Extant literature also agrees that the composition of the export basket is one of the crucial factors influencing CO₂ emissions, but the mechanisms by which changes in the export basket affect carbon emissions from a sustainable production perspective remain unexplored. Based on international trade theory, this study examines how shifts in production patterns affect subsequent CO₂ emissions through the lens of exogenously driven changes in the composition of a country's exports, with the consideration of the mediating role of industrial structure upgrading and the moderating role of intellectual property protection simultaneously. The results reveal that export composition improvement contributes to carbon reduction, and industrial structure upgrading plays a significant mediating role in the export composition improvement for carbon reduction. Intellectual property protection moderates the relationship between export composition improvement and industrial structure upgrading. The mediating effect of export composition improvement affecting carbon emissions reduction through industrial structure upgrading is also moderated by intellectual property protection.

Have carbon emissions been reduced due to the upgrading of industrial structure? Analysis of the mediating effect based on technological innovation

The problem of global climate change is a common problem faced by all countries, and developing countries will face heavier pressure to reduce carbon emissions while promoting economic development. China is currently in a period of economic transformation, and the contradiction of industrial structure upgrading is becoming more and more prominent. The unreasonable industrial structure has caused a large consumption of resources, hindering the optimal allocation of resources and affecting carbon emissions. Technological innovation is an important force to cope with environmental changes, promote economic growth, and improve comprehensive competitiveness. Can technological innovation achieve carbon emission reduction under industrial structure upgrading? In this paper, industrial structure upgrading, technological innovation, and carbon emissions are studied together, and the impact of industrial structure upgrading, technological innovation on carbon emissions is theoretically analyzed, as well as how industrial structure upgrading acts on carbon emissions through technological innovation. An empirical test is conducted using 30 provincial panel data in China from 2005 to 2017, and it is found that industrial structure upgrading can reduce carbon emissions. An econometric analysis based on the mediating effect model finds that industrial structure upgrading has both a direct carbon emission reduction effect and a mediating effect of reducing carbon emissions through technological innovation, and the mediating effect of technological innovation in reducing carbon emissions remains significant in the regression analysis of sub-regions. Based on the research of this paper, it is suggested that the advanced development of industrial structure should be promoted, the rationalization of industrial structure should be promoted, the innovation development strategy should be firmly implemented, and the level of technological innovation should be promoted.

Does green credit promote industrial upgrading?-analysis of mediating effects based on technological innovation

At present, China's economy is transforming from rapid development to high-quality development, and the prominent problems in the industrial structure need to be resolved urgently. The implementation of the green credit policy restricts loans to industries with high energy consumption, high pollution, and overcapacity to prevent excessive expansion and consumption of resources, thereby achieving the goals of industrial restructuring and environmental protection. Technological innovation is an important means to cope with environmental changes and adjust the industrial structure. Can technological innovation under green credit achieve the upgrading of the industrial structure? This paper combines green credit, technological innovation, and industrial structure upgrading to conduct research, and theoretically analyzes the impact of green credit and technological innovation on industrial structure upgrading, and analyzes how green credit affects industrial structure upgrading through technological innovation. An empirical test using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2017 revealed that green credit can promote the upgrading of the industrial structure. Econometric analysis based on the mediation effect model found that green credit not only directly promotes the upgrading of the industrial structure, but also has the mediation effect that affects the upgrading of the industrial structure through technological innovation. In the sub-regional regression analysis, technological innovation affects the upgrading of the industrial structure. The mediation effect is still significant. Based on the research in this article, it is recommended to actively implement green credit policies, expand the scale of green credit, firmly implement the innovation-driven development strategy, and at the same time vigorously develop clean energy and reduce energy consumption. The research significance of the article is to explore the impact of green credit on industrial structure upgrading, which has implications for the implementation and promotion of subsequent green credit policies. At the same time, it enriches the research on green credit.

Heterogeneous environmental regulation and industrial structure upgrading: evidence from China

There are obvious differences between different types of environmental regulation, which are manifested in different environmental protection tendencies and goals, and there are also significant differences in policy implementation. Therefore, it is an urgent empirical problem to quantitatively evaluate the impact of heterogeneous environmental regulation on the upgrading of industrial structures. Therefore, on the basis of measuring the level of industrial structure upgrading, this paper empirically tests the impact of heterogeneous environmental regulation on industrial structure upgrading. The results show that the upgrading level of China's industrial structure increased year by year from 2000 to 2018. The three types of environmental regulatory measures have effectively promoted the upgrading of the industrial structure, and the market-incentive environmental regulation (MER) has a significantly higher role in the advancement of the industrial structure than the command-controlled environmental regulation (CER) and the voluntary public participation environmental regulation (VER). With the improvement of regional economic development level, the three types of environmental regulation have gradually become more prominent in promoting the upgrading of industrial structure. In the mechanism test, it is found that technological innovation has a partial mediating effect in the process of CER affecting the upgrading of industrial structure, MER and public VER have a complete mediating effect, while foreign direct investment (FDI) has only a partial mediating effect in the process of the three types of environmental regulation affecting industrial advancement, and there is no mediating effect in the process of influencing the rationalization of industrial structure.

Analysis of the mechanism of the impact of internet development on green economic growth: evidence from 269 prefecture cities in China

As the digital economy develops rapidly and the network information technology advances, new development models represented by the network economy have emerged, which have a crucial impact on green economic growth. However, the relevant previous studies lacked the role of analyzing the direct and indirect effects of internet development on green economic growth at the prefecture-level city level. For this purpose, this paper aims to examine the intrinsic mechanism of the impact of internet development on green economic growth and provide empirical support for cities and regions in China to increase internet construction. Furthermore, the mixed model (EBM), which includes both radial and non-radial distance functions, is applied to calculate the green economic growth index. Fixed effect model and mediation effect model are also employed to test influence mechanisms of the internet development on green economic growth using panel data of 269 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2019. The statistical results reveal that internet development has contributed significantly to green economic growth. When the internet development level increases by 1 unit, the green economic growth level increases by an average of 5.0372 units. However, regional heterogeneity is evident between internet development and green economic growth, that is, the promoting effect of internet development on green economic growth is gradually enhanced from the eastern region to the western region. We also find that internet development guides industrial structure upgrading improves environmental quality and accelerates enterprise innovation, which indirectly contributes to green economic growth. And internet development mainly achieves green economic growth through enterprise innovation. Based on the above findings, we concluded that policymakers should not only strengthen the guiding role of social actors to promote the stable development of the internet industry, but also foster the construction of the three models of "internet+industry integration," "internet+environmental governance," and "internet+enterprise innovation" to promote green economic growth.

How to achieve a win-win situation between economic growth and carbon emission reduction: empirical evidence from the perspective of industrial structure upgrading

Over the past 40 years since China's reform and opening up, the industrial structure has undergone tremendous changes. The rapid development of the economy has been accompanied by a surge in carbon emissions. How to achieve a win-win situation for economic growth and carbon emissions reduction has aroused widespread concern from all sectors of society. Here, this paper discusses the dynamic relationship of industrial structure upgrading, economic growth, and carbon emission reduction. Results show that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship among industrial structure upgrading, economic growth, and carbon emissions. In the short term, when the three variables deviate from the long-term equilibrium state, the non-equilibrium state will be pulled back to equilibrium with the adjustment strength of - 0.0633, - 0.0097, and 0.0013. Carbon emission reduction promotes industrial structure upgrading. Industrial structure upgrading has a greater positive impact on economic growth. Industrial structure upgrading and economic growth have a negative impact on carbon emissions, thereby promoting emission reduction. And at the 10% significance level, there is a one-way Granger causality from carbon emissions to industrial structure upgrading, economic growth can cause one-way changes in carbon emissions, and industrial structure upgrading is a one-way Granger cause of economic growth. Finally, several carbon emission reduction policies are proposed promote industrial restructuring and sustainable economic development.

Does emission trading scheme have spillover effect on industrial structure upgrading? Evidence from the EU based on a PSM-DID approach

The coordinated development of environmental pollution and the economy has become a global problem. Emission trading scheme (ETS) has become a significant environmental policy instrument, prior studies primarily concentrated on micro-level factors with specific industries; there lacks discussion on the effects of ETS on macro-level industrial structure such as industrial structure upgrading. In this paper, we first use the propensity score matching (PSM) to screen out the control group in which countries are matched with the members of the EU, and then utilize the difference-in-differences (DID) method, to examine the effects of ETS implementation on national industrial structure upgrading in the members of the EU. Empirical results show that the EU ETS may does not have a significant impact on industrial structure change, while the implementation of EU ETS has significantly promoted the upgrading of the country's industrial structure, and the policy effect of EU ETS on industrial structure upgrading gradually increases as time goes by and there is a dynamic effect. The conclusions of this paper can be used as reference for the development of emission reduction policies in large countries with unbalanced internal development.