Impact of digital finance on corporate green innovation: Exploring role of land resource misallocation in China

Abstract

Within the framework of the new development concept, achieving green technological innovation (GTI) in enterprises through green-oriented and innovation-oriented systems has become a crucial step towards promoting the transformation towards sustainability and innovation-driven development. Furthermore, digital governance has emerged as a powerful catalyst for China's economic and social progress, offering fresh opportunities to enhance the country's level of GTI. Given this, we investigate the influence and mechanism of digital finance on developing environmentally friendly innovations inside A-share listed firms in Shanghai and Shenzhen between 2011 and 2020. The study reveals that digital inclusive finance (DIF), in terms of its reach, level of utilization, and extent of digitization, has a substantial positive impact on GTI. It indirectly stimulates such innovation by exacerbating the imbalance in land resources mismatch. DIF plays a more pronounced role in driving GTI in the eastern and central regions, non-resource cities, second-tier cities, and cities with a higher level of digital economy development and implementation of the broadband China strategy. Digital governance facilitates the efficient implementation of digital finance and fosters a conducive external environment and internal drive for businesses. It offers valuable perspectives on the role of digital finance in China's economic transformation and underscores the significance of digital governance in promoting green technological innovation and economic progress.