Shocks from Extreme Temperatures: Climate Sensitivity of Urban Digital Economy in China

Although the digital economy has become a new driving force for development worldwide, it is still unclear how digital economy development affects green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE). Using panel data from 281 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2018, this study empirically analyzes the effect of digital economy development on GTFEE by adopting a dynamic panel model, a mediation effect model, a dynamic threshold panel model, and a spatial Durbin model. The empirical results show that digital economy development has a significantly negative direct effect on GTFEE. The digital economy can impact GTFEE by the mechanisms of electrification, hollowing out of industrial scale, and hollowing out of industrial efficiency. Neither innovation nor environmental regulations significantly change this negative impact. The dynamic threshold panel model shows a nonlinear relationship between digital economy development and GTFEE, which indicates that the effect of digital economy development on GTFEE significantly inverts from negative to positive as the digital economy develops. In addition, GTFEE has a significantly positive spatial correlation, and the digital economy has a positive spatial spillover effect on GTFEE.

Asthma triggered by extreme temperatures: From epidemiological evidence to biological plausibility

Based on the panel data of 291 prefecture-level cities in China from 2009 to 2023, the development level index of digital economy is constructed, and the DID model is used to conduct empirical research on the impact of smart city construction on the development of urban digital economy. The research results show that smart city has a role in promoting the development level of urban digital economy, and there are significant differences between pilot and non-pilot cities. Mechanism analysis shows that the construction of smart city promotes the development of urban digital economy by improving the level of information infrastructure and information industry. The heterogeneity test shows that the pilot policy of smart city plays a greater role in promoting the development of digital economy in cities with lower scientific and educational level and administrative level.

Extremely cold and hot temperatures increase the risk of diabetes mortality in metropolitan areas of two Chinese cities

The development of the digital economy radiates to national ecological protection and resource utilization, holding the key to haze governance. However, as the largest developing country, the impact of China's digital economy on haze pollution has received little attention. Based on the panel data of 275 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2018, this paper studies the impact and mechanism of digital economy development on haze pollution. The results of fixed effect model show that the development of digital economy has a significant negative impact on urban haze pollution in China. The results of heterogeneity analysis show that the development of digital economy has a more significant inhibitory effect on the haze pollution of resource-based cities, non-resource-based cities, eastern cities, and large cities. The quasi-natural experimental results show that the establishment of the "national big data comprehensive experimental area" is conducive to haze pollution control, which proves the conclusion that the digital economy can significantly reduce haze pollution. The development of digital economy can significantly reduce haze pollution by promoting technological innovation and optimizing resource allocation.

The swift advancement of the digital economy not only plays a crucial role in stimulating a country's economic growth but also exerts a significant influence on national health and well-being. Adopts the data of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2022, and employs the panel data fixed-effects model, spatial Durbin model, and mediated effects model to study the impact of digital economic development on the level of urban public health. It is found that digital economic development significantly improves the level of urban public health, and the effect has a spatial spillover effect. The impact of digital economic development on urban public health is mainly concentrated in cities with higher levels of economic development, higher levels of digital economic development, and lower levels of urban public health. Among them, technological innovation and information dissemination are the main dissemination channels through which digital economic development affects the level of urban public health. The advancement of the digital economy significantly impacts urban public health. It is advisable to bolster policies guiding digital economy development, enhance cross-sector collaboration between the digital economy and public health, reinforce public health education and awareness campaigns, improve the digital health literacy of the population, continue to enhance the fairness and accessibility of basic medical services, and address and bridge the "digital divide" between regions, as well as urban and rural areas.

The digital economy (DE) plays a crucial role in green innovation (GI) and green development as a new economic form. Based on the panel data of 274 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2019, this paper constructs a comprehensive DE index and conducts two-way fixed effect regression to explore its impact on GI capabilities and examines the mediating effect of industrial structure transformation and upgrading. The research results show that: (1) The development of the DE has significantly improved the GI capability of cities. (2) In terms of space, the development of DE and GI ability development in eastern cities outperform that in central and western regions. However, the development of eastern cities is almost saturated and slow, while the development of central and western cities is faster. (3) The DE has a significant role in promoting GI capabilities in the central and western regions. Although the eastern region has a positive impact, it is negligible. In terms of urban scale, the DE of the large, medium, and small cities positively affects GI capabilities to the effect. (4) The transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure mediate the relationship between the DE and GI. Based on the above conclusions, relevant suggestions for improving GI capabilities around the development of the DE and industrial transformation and upgrading must be devised.

In the context of accelerating the construction of the digital economy, it is of great practical significance to study the degree of intellectual property protection to improve the development of the digital economy to help the high-quality development of China's digital economy. The data of 273 cities in China from 2012 to 2021 were selected as samples, and the level of intellectual property protection was measured by the number of intellectual property cases, and the development of the digital economy was measured by the Internet infrastructure, Internet-related output, and digital financial inclusion. It is found that 1) The protection of intellectual property rights has significantly improved the level of development of the digital economy. 2) Intellectual property protection can promote the development of the digital economy by increasing the activity of innovation. 3) The impact of intellectual property protection on the digital economy is verified from the levels of different regions, city sizes and local financial resources, and it is found that the positive effect of intellectual property protection on the digital economy in the eastern region, Type II large cities and cities with high local financial resources is greater.

This study investigates the impact and mechanisms of carbon emission reduction associated with digital economy development, utilizing data from 265 prefecture-level cities in China during the period of 2003 to 2019. The comprehensive index of digital economy development at the prefecture level is evaluated using the entropy method, followed by empirical analysis employing the dual fixed effect model. The findings confirm a significant improvement in urban carbon emission reduction resulting from the digital economy. Mechanism analysis reveals that the digital economy enhances the carbon emission reduction effect in cities by promoting urban green innovation and reducing energy consumption intensity. Additionally, heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the carbon reduction effect of digital economy development is influenced by factors such as city location, population size, and development type. By shedding light on the relationship between the digital economy and carbon emission reduction, this study offers valuable insights into the mechanisms through which the digital economy contributes to sustainable urban development.

Lately, the ongoing issue of haze pollution in multiple cities across China has had a profound impact on the residents’ wellbeing and overall health. The urgent necessity to address haze pollution is undeniable. Meanwhile, the rapidly evolving digital economy has sprung up as a pivotal driver for China’s economic growth, providing innovative approach to tackle haze pollution. This research explores the impact of the digital economy on haze pollution through utilizing the big data pilot zone as a quasi-natural experiment. Panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities in China is adopted, covering the period from 2011 through 2020. This analysis incorporates various models, namely, difference-in-differences model (DID), mediation effect model, and difference-in-differences spatial Durbin model. The findings highlight the substantial contributions of digital economy in alleviating haze pollution. Furthermore, these findings hold true even after a series of rigorous robustness checks. The constraint influence of the digital economy on haze pollution is particularly prominent in metropolitan areas, cities with elevated administrative levels, primary environmental protection cities, as well as economically developed cities. Financial development and technological innovation serve as important mechanisms through which the digital economy suppresses haze pollution. After accounting for spatial factors, the digital economy exhibits consequential spillover effects, leading to substantial inhibition of haze pollution in surrounding cities as well as locally. The novel aspects of this paper are as follows: Firstly, it regards the establishment of big data experimental zones as the exogenous policy shock of digital economy and employs a multi period DID model to evaluate the impact of the digital economy on haze pollution. Secondly, it explores the transmission pathways through which the digital economy affects haze pollution from the perspectives of financial development and technological innovation. Thirdly, it investigates the heterogeneous characteristics of the impact of the digital economy on haze pollution. Fourthly, it examines the spatial spillover effects of the digital economy on haze pollution from the perspective of spatial econometrics.

With the improvement of China's digital economy, how to drive the further development of digital economy has aroused the thinking of policy makers. The paper studies the factors spurring the digital economy in Chinese cities, based on a sample of 100 cities in 2018 and 113 cities in 2019. The results show that urban innovation ability and economic development level are the main factors affecting the development of urban digital economy. Human capital, road density, per capita GDP, government investment in scientific research has an impact on the development of urban digital economy through urban innovation ability. The digital economy has become a new driving force for China's economic development.

Does the digital economy contribute to carbon emissions reduction? A city-level spatial analysis in China

Based on existing studies of the digital economy and green total factor productivity, combined with sustainable development, network effect theory, information asymmetry theory and new economic geography, this paper analyzes the impact mechanism of the digital economy on green total factor productivity. Using the entropy weight method, this study measures the digital economy development of 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2013 to 2022. The super‑efficient SBM‑GML model is used to calculate green total factor productivity and its spatiotemporal trends. Fixed effects and spatial Durbin models are constructed to test the impact empirically. Results show that: (1) China’s urban digital economy has been improving overall with a converging gap between cities, but significant regional heterogeneity still exists. (2) Urban green total factor productivity shows a fluctuating upward trend, driven by technological progress and efficiency changes, but their synergy is not yet formed. (3) The digital economy significantly promotes green total factor productivity with regional and developmental heterogeneity, especially in coastal areas and high‑productivity regions. It functions through upgrading industrial structure and improving human capital. Keywords: Digital economy, Green total factor productivity, Super-efficiency SBM-GML, Spatial Durbin Model.

Can the digital economy boost rural residents’ income? Evidence from China based on the spatial Durbin model

In the wave of digital transformation, digital economy, as one of the core growth poles of the national economy, which is becoming a new driving force to promote economic development. In view of the problem of the unbalanced development of China's digital economy, and to construct an indicator system for the level of digital economic development. The study is based on the panel data of 30 provinces (Tibet is not included in the study due to missing data) from 2013 to 2021, and comprehensively utilizes the entropy method, the Tyrell index and the Moran index method, the regional level of China's digital economic development is measured. And based on this, it further reveals the regional differences in China's digital economic development and the dynamic evolution characteristics of source and distribution. The purpose of this study is to provide practical experience and effective measures for promoting the coordinated development of digital economy in various regions and narrowing the regional digital divide. The study shows that the level of China's digital economy development has been increasing, and the digital economy has become the main engine of national economic development. The development of China's digital economy shows significant positive spatial dependence, spatial agglomeration and regional imbalance, and the development of the digital economy faces the problem of digital divide. The regional differences in the level of China's digital economy development are mainly due to inter-regional differences, and there is a trend of gradual reduction. There is also a certain degree of ups and downs in the process of regional digital economy development, and its spatial heterogeneity and convergence characteristics need to be further studied.