Digital Economy Research Articles

Prediction of provincial Digital Economy Development Index based on grey combination forecasting model

PurposeIn many instances, the data exhibits periodic and trend characteristics. However, indices like the Digital Economy Development Index (DEDI), which pertains to science, technology, policy and economy, may occasionally display erratic behaviors due to external influences. Thus, to address the unique attributes of the digital economy, this study integrates the principle of information prioritization with nonlinear processing techniques to accurately forecast rapid and anomalous data.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed method utilizes the new information priority GM(1,1) model alongside an optimized BP neural network model achieved through the gradient descent technique (GD-BP). Initially, the provincial Digital Economic Development Index (DEDI) is derived using the entropy weight approach. Subsequently, the original GM(1,1) time response equation undergoes alteration of the initial value, and the time parameter is fine-tuned using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Next, the GD-BP model addresses the residual error. Ultimately, the prediction outcome of the grey combination forecasting model (GCFM) is derived by merging the findings from both the NIPGM(1,1) model and the GD-BP approach.FindingsUsing the DEDI of Jiangsu Province as a case study, researchers demonstrate the effectiveness of the grey combination forecasting model. This model achieves a mean absolute percentage error of 0.33%, outperforming other forecasting methods.Research limitations/implicationsFirst of all, due to the limited data access, it is impossible to obtain a more comprehensive dataset related to the DEDI of Jiangsu Province. Secondly, according to the test results of the GCFM from 2011 to 2020 and the forecasting results from 2021 to 2023, it can be seen that the results of the GCFM are consistent with the actual development situation, but it cannot guarantee the correctness of the long-term forecasting, so the combination forecasting model is only suitable for short-term forecasting.Originality/valueThis article proposes a grey combination prediction model based on the principles of new information priority and nonlinear processing.

The effects of digital economy on manufacturing resource allocation efficiency across Chinese cities: a spatial economic perspective

ABSTRACT The development of digital economy provides significant impacts on spatial distribution of industries. Using microdata from Chinese manufacturing enterprises and adopting a spatial economic perspective, this study reveals that the digital economy exerts non-linear impacts on resource allocation. As the level of urban digital economy improves, the efficiency of manufacturing resource allocation shows an inverted U-shaped trend, and high hierarchy cities exhibit higher critical values. The study finds a positive spatial correlation in manufacturing resource allocation efficiency across cities; however, the growth of digital economy in neighbouring cities may lead to backwash effects and impede local improvements in allocation efficiency. The mechanism analysis indicates that the digital economy primarily affects spatial resource allocation through urban agglomeration economies and diseconomies. Consequently, economic agents and policy makers in cities should consider the dual effects of ‘location optimization’ and ‘transforming the economy from substantial to fictitious’ during digital transformation processes to select optimal development paths and improve allocation efficiency.

Digital Economy, Marine Industrial Structure Upgrading, and the High-Quality Development of Marine Economy Based on the Static and Dynamic Spatial Durbin Model

Achieving marine sustainable development goals requires improving the quality of the marine economy. In this study, we constructed a multi-dimensional evaluation index system to quantify the high-quality development of the marine economy (HDME) and digital economy for China’s 11 coastal regions between 2012 and 2020, and systematically explored the mechanisms between the digital economy, marine industrial structure upgrading, and high-quality development of the marine economy. We further empirically analyzed the influence of the digital economy and marine industrial structure upgrading on the HDME by using the static and dynamic spatial Durbin model and threshold model. We found that the digital economy improved the HDME of local and neighboring regions, and the sub-dimensional indicators had a significant heterogeneous effect. The marine industrial structure upgrading only positively affected the quality of the marine economy in neighboring areas. Furthermore, the digital economy and marine industrial structure upgrading also had synergistic effects on improving the marine economy, which mainly depended on digital infrastructure and digital industrialization. There also existed digital infrastructure and digital industrialization thresholds within marine industrial structure upgrading, affecting the HDME. Our results provide new insights for the green and sustainable development of the marine industry and marine economy from a broader technical perspective in the digital age. Governments should recognize the spatial spillover and synergistic effects of the digital economy and marine industrial structure between different regions and implement policies considering their impacts to achieve the marine sustainable development goals.

Worker well-being in the digital economy: Lens through bibliometrics analysis

Orientation: The study employed bibliometrics analysis to investigate key research themes and trends on digital economy and worker well-being.Research purpose: The study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of worker well-being and digital economy to identify prominent and emerging research themes in this domain.Motivation for the study: Given the rapid digital transformation of workplaces, there is a need to assess literature trends on workers’ well-being and the digital economy.Research approach/design and method: The study employed a quantitative bibliometrics analysis to map literature on worker well-being and the digital economy. Data from Scopus were collected and screened through Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A total of 1473 documents were considered meeting the study’s criteria. The scientific literature production, country scientific production, conceptual structure (co-occurrence network, thematic map and thematic evolution) and keyword analysis were used to analyse the data.Main findings: The analysis revealed the following key themes, including task performance, emotional labour, employee voice, career adaptability, job satisfaction, employee well-being, work engagement, proactive personality and psychology of work.Practical/managerial implications: The findings underscore the need for organisations to implement employee well-being initiatives and support mechanisms to address the challenges posed by digital work environments.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a detailed map of the research landscape. The study shows the need to address well-being challenges because of poverty, vulnerability and changing psychology of work. The study also shows importance of adaptability, work engagement and support systems for employees.

Higher education for sustainable development in the digital era: Mapping the bibliometric analysis

Modern higher education institutions in developed countries are becoming active agents of permanent societal changes. The aim of the study is to map the scientific landscape on the topic of higher education for sustainable development in the context of digitalization. In the research process, bibliometric analysis, an in-built Scopus instrument, and VOSviewer were used. The findings proved that the severe restrictions faced by universities during the COVID-19 pandemic became a powerful impulse to intensify the attention of scientists to the mentioned topic. Visualization maps of keywords and scientific publications showed the existing interdisciplinary nature and the main thematic directions of research on higher education for sustainable development in the digital era. They demonstrated a direct connection between the basic principles of the sustainable development concept, sustainable development goals, higher education, universities, digitization, and digital technologies. The largest number of works on the specified subject belong to scientists from China, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine. The study concluded that future publications in the analyzed field would cover the effectiveness of digital technologies in higher education, the development of competencies for the digital economy, inclusiveness, cybersecurity, as well as ethical aspects of the use of technologies to achieve the global sustainable development goals. AcknowledgmentThis analysis is carried out within the framework of the scientific project “Model of the Post-War Recovery of Border Universities of Ukraine in the Digitalization Era Under the Sustainable Development Concept” with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Order No 1190 dated 30.12.2022).

How does digital economy drive the high‐quality development of regional manufacturing?

AbstractDigital technologies promote economic progress. The digital economy drives the development of manufacturing. This paper explores the impact of the digital economy on the high‐quality development of manufacturing using panel data from the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China. Employing the entropy method, we first measure the level of the digital economy and the high‐quality development of manufacturing. Then, we divide the digital economy into three dimensions: the digital foundation, the digital application, and the digital innovation, and investigate how each dimension influences the high‐quality development of manufacturing. Results show that: (1) Both the digital economy level and the high‐quality development level of manufacturing exhibit steady growth, while the overall value of the Yangtze River Economic Belt stays low. (2) Three dimensions of the digital economy positively affect the high‐quality development of manufacturing, with the most noticeable effect of the digital innovation, followed by the digital application and the digital foundation. (3) Threshold effect tests demonstrate that both the digital foundation and the digital application exhibit a double threshold effect on the high‐quality development of the manufacturing, but the digital innovation has a single threshold effect. (4) Last but not the least, the digital foundation positively affects the high‐quality development of the manufacturing in downstream and upstream regions, but less apparently influences midstream regions by the heterogeneity analysis. Additionally, both the digital application and the digital innovation have significant effects on the high‐quality development of the manufacturing across all regions.

EU digital law and the digital platform economy—an inquiry into the co-evolution of law and technology

AbstractEU digital policy is currently one of the most ambitious and far-reaching endeavors to regulate the digital economy. Online platforms in multisided markets with digital ecosystems lie at the heart of digital technologies and business models. Among others, they pose new challenges with regard to the abuse of a dominant market position, thus ultimately reducing competition and innovation. This paper outlines an evolutionary approach to the co-evolution of law and technology with collective cognitive constructs and wealth effects as essential drivers (Eckardt (2001, 2008). It is then applied to the evolution of EU law in this field. After an overview of the evolution from telecommunication monopolies to the current digital platform economy, a case study presents firstly the Google Search (Shopping) case (2010–2024). Based on traditional EU competition law, it resulted in gradual judge-made legal innovation. It also generated new knowledge about the shortcomings of the ex post approach of EU competition law when applying it to the digital platform economy. As a consequence, secondly, the introduction of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) (2020 onwards) as a radical statutory innovation is discussed. The DMA introduced a novel ex ante regulation for large online platforms to overcome the problems of traditional EU competition law. Finally, the paper reflects on the impact of wealth effects and the (co-evolving) cognitive constructs of the relevant players as drivers in this current example of the co-evolution of law and technology. The paper concludes with an outlook on further areas of empirical and conceptual research that can provide a better understanding of the co-evolution of law and technology and allow for better policies in regard to disruptive technological innovation.

Design of apple recognition model based on improved deep learning object detection framework Faster-RCNN

It the stage of digital economy development in China, intelligent recognition technology is used in agriculture, forestry and planting industries. This paper improves and optimizes apple recognition based on Faster-RCNN, a deep learning target detection framework, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the improved target detection and recognition model. This study compares and analyzes the conventional Faster-RCNN apple recognition model and the enhanced Faster-RCNN apple recognition model design based on the deep learning target detection framework. From the two groups of recognition model systems under different design schemes, the research and analysis of comprehensive performance, sensitivity and coupling shows that the improved Faster-RCNN Apple recognition model has higher accuracy and more accurate positioning for Apple recognition. The results show that the improved Faster-RCNN apple recognition model can more effectively improve the design of the apple recognition model at the present stage, reduce labor costs, and significantly improve work efficiency. It also promotes the development of the domestic digital economy and provides research support and value for future intelligence and deep learning development paths.

User Perception on Opportunities Provided by the Digital India Platform in Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Digital India Initiative is transforming India into a digital verse economy, for the past nine years it has paved its way into all our routine lives. The dream of digital India has started to show its results yet there is a need to consistently scrutinize its performance all over the nation. This paper has attempted to gain a better and deeper understanding into the perception of users on the opportunities provided by Digital India Platforms in selected districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. With the help of a structured questionnaire views of respondents were collected during May 2024 and analyzed with the help of exploratory factor analysis, cross tabulation, and chi-square test through SPSS statistics. The research work revealed the Digital India Platform has helped in providing opportunities in education, employment, accessibility to government schemes, advancement of Information technology and digitalization, and it needs to work more in the growth of business and profession.

Design of Digital Economy Industry Investment Decision Support System Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method

Design of Digital Economy Industry Investment Decision Support System Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method

The Urgency of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and Digital Platforms for MSMEs in Realizing a Sustainable Digital Economy

Free Trade Areas (FTAs) offer significant opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by providing access to international markets without tariff barriers. However, MSMEs often face challenges such as limited understanding of FTA regulations and difficulties in accessing global markets. This article discusses the need to develop a global digital marketplace platform specifically designed for MSMEs with FTA integration to address these challenges. The study uses a qualitative approach, analyzing relevant journals and articles to identify the needs of MSMEs and how digital platforms can support them in maximizing the benefits of FTAs. The discussion aims to provide solutions to market access limitations and information barriers, contributing to the growth and innovation of MSMEs towards a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy.

The relationship between virtual work climate and digital creativity: The role of remote work self‐efficacy and proactive personality

In the era of the digital economy, enhancing the digital creativity of remote workers is paramount for organizations. Our research, informed by insights from individual perceptions of climate and social cognition, introduces and examines a robust theoretical framework for comprehending the ways in which remote workers foster digital creativity within a virtual work environment. Utilizing this framework, we hypothesized about the correlation between a virtual work climate and digital creativity. To test our hypothesis, we embarked on an empirical study that involved a two‐stage survey, resulting in 331 valid responses. The findings reveal a positive correlation between the virtual work climate and digital creativity. Furthermore, we discovered that remote work self‐efficacy plays a role in partially mediating this relationship. The data also indicates that a proactive personality not only strengthens the connection between the virtual work climate and digital creativity but also enhances the link between the virtual work climate and remote work self‐efficacy. Intriguingly, a proactive personality also intensifies the mediating role of remote work self‐efficacy in the relationship between the virtual work climate and digital creativity. These insights shed light on the specific processes and conditions that amplify digital creativity among employees via a virtual work climate. We suggest that organizations can significantly boost the digital creativity of their remote workforce by cultivating a supportive virtual work climate.

The Effect of Digital Economy on Rural Environmental Governance: Evidence from China

Exploring the inherent mechanisms by which the digital economy fosters rural environmental governance holds paramount importance for driving the sustainable development of rural regions and elevating the living standards of rural residents. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks and extensive literature reviews, we have devised comprehensive indicator systems for quantifying the development trajectory of the digital economy and the efficacy of rural environmental governance, employing the entropy method for measurement. Leveraging panel data that spans from 2011 to 2022, encompassing 31 provinces across China, we empirically delve into the influence of the digital economy on rural environmental governance, along with its underlying mechanisms, by employing a fixed effects model. The baseline regression results reveal that the development of the digital economy can significantly promote the improvement of rural environmental governance, even after considering potential endogeneity issues. Moreover, the test results of the mediation effect show that the digital economy can enhance the level of rural environmental governance by accelerating industrial structure optimization and improving green technology innovation. Furthermore, the test result of the regulatory effect implies that the urban–rural dual structure may inhibit the positive effect of the digital economy on rural environmental governance. Additionally, there exists regional disparities in which the digital economy influences rural environmental governance, with the eastern region exhibiting a more pronounced effect compared to other regions.

Digital Economy, Employment Structure and Labor Share

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted employment, making it challenging to increase the labor share. However, the recent expansion of the digital economy has revitalized economic growth and markedly improved productivity. This raises a critical question: can the growth of the digital economy not only boost labor productivity but also increase labor share and reduce income inequality? This paper explores the impact of digital economic development on labor share, examining the underlying mechanisms at play. Our findings suggest that the digital economy has the potential to reshape employment structures, leading to an increase in the labor share. However, the extent of this impact varies across different industries. Furthermore, from an industrial chain perspective, the digital economy has created technology spillover effects that benefit upstream and downstream sectors. In light of these findings, it is crucial to continue fostering the growth of the digital economy to address potential negative impacts on the labor share in the future.

Securing privacy in the digital age: The quest for judicial protection of personal information

Personal information is a vital productive commodity in the digital economy, and its processing has seen unparalleled transformations in both breadth and depth. This article proposes to enhance the legal remedies for personal information rights in contemporary China. Research has revealed multiple practical challenges in China’s judicial practices, such as hesitance to prosecute owing to an absence of substantial legal foundation, improper distribution of the burden of proof, and inadequate integration of criminal-civil judicial safeguards for personal information. This paper advocates for China to elucidate the definition of personal information rights via legislation, enable the litigation of personal information infringement cases, and establish explicit criteria for their acceptance into judicial proceedings. Furthermore, China must develop an appropriate structure for distributing the burden of evidence. It must also use discretionary judgment to properly tackle the problems related to evaluating damages in instances of personal information violations.

Overcoming Far-Right Respectability: The Case for Systemic Approaches to Studying White Supremacy

ABSTRACT This contribution to the Forum collection traces the rhetorical strategies taken up by far-right actors to cast white supremacist ideas as “respectable” in the post-civil rights era, including the adoption of “colorblind” and “reverse racism” frameworks. Today’s reactionary figureheads have inherited these frameworks, while adapting them to the norms and affordances of the digital attention economy. Popular indicators of conservative respectability today include the adoption of “mitigating rhetorical strategies,” appeals to free speech, and performances of intellectual and journalistic rigor. The piece ultimately argues that these tactics of obfuscation and abstraction should not deter political communication researchers from identifying white supremacist ideology as such, even when it manifests in coded and “respectable” ways. Adopting a systemic rather than individualistic understanding of white supremacy can help us to undertake the critical analyses required in this moment.

Elevating citizen engagement in the process of territorial development through digitisation

The purpose of the study is to examine the digitisation of the state system involving local executive bodies to identify effective strategies for engaging citizens in territorial development decision-making. The following methods were applied in the study: hermeneutic, statistical, structural-functional, and comparative methods. During the study, the main problems associated with the implementation of digital technologies in the territorial development system involving the country's citizens were examined, such as technological barriers, issues of confidentiality and data security, and uneven distribution of resources. This allowed formulating recommendations for problem resolution, namely, ensuring access to education, developing digital literacy among the population, devising effective measures to protect data, and guaranteeing the confidentiality of personal information. The paper also explores the prospects and threats to the economies of regions in the process of transitioning to a digital economy. Special attention is given to studying the indicators of the current state of digitisation in Kazakhstan, considering data from annual international ratings. The obtained research results can be used in the development and implementation of digital technologies in the territory management system at the international-regional level for the benefit of citizens.

Emerging Trends in E-Commerce in Bangalore Urban District: Opportunities and Challenges for Local Businesses

The rapid growth of e-commerce in India has cemented Bangalore Urban District as a vital area for digital commerce, fueled by its advanced technological infrastructure and consumer base. This study investigates emerging trends such as mobile commerce, omnichannel retail, and social commerce, and examines their impact on local businesses. Through analyzing secondary data and industry insights, this paper identifies factors driving these trends, including high smartphone penetration, an expanding digital economy, and the unique tech ecosystem in Bangalore. The findings underscore the opportunities and challenges for businesses in Bangalore to navigate this competitive sector effectively, providing recommendations on leveraging digital innovations to foster growth.

Pengaruh E-Commerce Terhadap Pola Pengeluaran Keuangan di Era Ekonomi Digital

This research uses quantitative methods which aim to analyze the impact of trade on financial expenditure patterns in the digital economy era. Does e-commerce have an influence or not on financial spending patterns in the digital economy era? This data analysis technique involves distributing questionnaires via Google Form on social media, namely WhatsApp, which is used to collect data. The research results show that e-commerce has a better influence on financial spending patterns.

Artificial Intelligence and the Development of “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” Small‐ and Medium‐Sized Enterprises

ABSTRACT“Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” (SRUI) enterprises are a crucial part of the national innovation system and play a significant role in enhancing national core competitiveness by leveraging strengths and addressing weaknesses. Given the limited quantitative analysis on the productivity of SRUI enterprises in the academic field, this paper constructs an enterprise‐level artificial intelligence index based on text analysis and machine learning. Using panel data from 2018 to 2022, we investigate the impact of artificial intelligence on the productivity of SRUI small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The research findings indicate that (1) artificial intelligence significantly enhances the productivity of SRUI SMEs, and for each one standard deviation increase in artificial intelligence, the productivity level of SRUI enterprises will increase by 6.82%. (2) Mechanism tests reveal that artificial intelligence improves productivity by optimizing labor structure, improving labor resource allocation, stimulating endogenous motivation and innovation vitality within enterprises, and enhancing management level and investment efficiency. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that at the regional level, artificial intelligence significantly boosts the productivity of enterprises with well‐developed network infrastructure and robust intellectual property protection systems. At the industry level, AI has a more pronounced effect on the productivity of technology‐intensive and competitive industries. Additionally, we also find that the impact of AI on productivity is more significant in enterprises with younger executive teams and executives with digital and intelligent education backgrounds. This study expands the research scope of productivity and provides valuable insights for the government to optimize digital economy policies and for enterprises to formulate digital innovation strategies.