The impact of ESG performance on OFDI mode choice: the role of total factor productivity

The dynamic relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and sustainable development has become a central topic of inquiry for academics and policymakers with rapid global economic growth. This study aims to clarify the impact mechanism and regional heterogeneity of FDI on total factor productivity (TFP) of Chinese high-tech enterprises, providing empirical evidence for optimizing foreign investment policies and promoting sustainable growth of enterprises. We utilized panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2022. The DEA-Malmquist index method is firstly employed to dynamically measure the TFP of high-tech enterprises, while a static panel model is utilized to empirically test the impact of FDI on TFP. A particular emphasis is then placed on analyzing the regional heterogeneity of technology spillovers. The findings reveal that FDI significantly enhances both the production efficiency and the technological innovation capacity of high-tech enterprises overall, thereby facilitating the sustainable growth of enterprises. Furthermore, technological innovation emerges as the core driving force behind TFP growth, whereas the expansion of labor input significantly decreases efficiency improvements. Notably, the technology spillover effects of FDI illustrate significant heterogeneity across different regions and types of enterprises. To promote the sustainable development of high-tech enterprises, this study provides evidence-based insights for foreign direct investment technologies to better enhancing the overall sustainable competitiveness of the economy in China.

Business model innovation and total factor productivity in the digital economy

Strengthening financial regulation and total factor productivity in China

The impact of financial technology on corporate total factor productivity: from the perspectives of competitive strategy and corporate innovation capability

Supply chain innovation pilot policy and enterprise total factor productivity

Artificial intelligence and enterprise total factor productivity: A human capital requirement perspective

Agriculture-service integration and agricultural green total factor productivity: A case study of China

Withdrawing the visible hand: the impact of subsidy withdrawal policy on the total factor productivity of photovoltaic enterprises

The configurational mechanism of triple-chain integration for promoting china's green total factor productivity

Flood disasters, firm total factor productivity and adaptation behaviors

Impact of government public data openness on agricultural total factor productivity

How does intelligent transformation drive the synergy between carbon reduction and productivity improvement in China's marine manufacturing?

Can digital inclusive finance simultaneously enhance carbon productivity and green total factor productivity?

Impact of green and low-carbon technological innovation on green total factor productivity of industrial sector: An analysis based on BAM-DEA model

As a new economic form guiding future development, the digital economy is becoming a core engine driving high-quality economic development. Based on the dialectical principle of productivity and production relations, this article systematically analyzes the internal mechanisms of the digital economy in promoting high-quality development and, drawing on my country's development practices, explores practical implementation paths. Research shows that by 2024, the added value of my country's core digital economy industries will account for 10.4% of GDP, and digital technology will contribute 22.5% to total factor productivity growth. This data fully demonstrates the key role of the digital economy in improving economic efficiency, enabling innovation, and optimizing the industrial structure. Currently, my country's digital economy development exhibits a "triple helix drive" but still faces significant challenges: Regional imbalances are prominent, with digital industry growth in the eastern region reaching 6.5% while in the western region only 0.8%, leading to significant resource imbalances. Core technology sectors are highly dependent on external sources, and some key technological links present supply security risks, hindering independent development. To this end, this study proposes a three-dimensional collaborative approach: technological innovation, institutional improvement, and ecosystem optimization. This will further deepen the implementation of the "Eastern Data West Computing" project, accelerate the reform of the market-oriented allocation of data elements, break down barriers to factor mobility, and ultimately build a new landscape for high-quality development of the digital economy, providing sustained impetus for economic transformation and upgrading.

Impact of digital government construction on green total factor productivity: a quasi-natural experiment with double debiased machine learning

ABSTRACT In the context of Vietnam's rapid industrialization and rising environmental pressures, improving productivity while reducing negative environmental impacts has become a central policy concern. This study decomposes the Global Malmquist‐Luenberger (GML) index (known as green total factor productivity—Green TFP) and the Global Malmquist (GM) index without environmental considerations into efficiency change and technological progress components of manufacturing firms in 36 provinces of Vietnam during the period 2012–2022. The result finds that, on average, the GML index of manufacturing firms is higher than the GM index over the study period. Technological progress is the main driver of improvements in the GML index. By a static panel data model and a dynamic system model, the study assesses the impact of factors on Green TFP and finds that research and development (R&D), labor productivity, and capital intensity have positive effects on Green TFP, whereas increases in the energy consumption rate and the share of fossil fuel consumption have negative effects on Green TFP. Therefore, policies that promote green innovation, investment in environmentally friendly technologies, and efforts to improve workers' qualifications are crucial and such policies must be sustained over the long term to effectively promote Green TFP.

ABSTRACT This study employs capital, labor, and energy as input variables, with provincial GDP as the desired output and CO2 emissions as the undesired output. Within the total factor productivity framework, two energy efficiency indices – energy economic efficiency and energy-environmental performance – are defined using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. Utilizing a non-radial, non-angle Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model, the study calculates these indices and their decomposition for Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2023, analyzing their evolution and regional disparities. Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory, the paper examines the relationship between energy efficiency indices, their decomposition, and regional economic growth. Results indicate that China’s overall energy efficiency indices were relatively low during the sample period, with significant regional disparities and potential for energy conservation and emission reduction. A non-linear relationship (either inverted U-shaped or U-shaped) was observed between these indices and economic growth. Industrial structure, population density, energy structure, and foreign capital utilization significantly affected both energy efficiency indices, though the mechanisms varied.

Against global climate change and China’s “Dual Carbon” targets, green finance has evolved from pilot to institutionalized frameworks. While China leads in green finance market size via policy innovation, the micro-mechanisms driving firm transformation and policy efficacy remain under-researched. Using the green finance reform and innovation pilot zone policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this research employs a multi-time point difference in difference model with 2010–2022 A-share listed firm data to examine its impact on total factor productivity. Results show the policy significantly suppresses firm total factor productivity, with robustness confirmed via parallel trends and multiple robustness tests. Structural heterogeneity exists: larger firms and those with higher institutional ownership experience stronger total factor productivity declines, reflecting asymmetric transition costs. Firms partially offset these effects through adaptive strategies like increased R&D and improved carbon performance, revealing a “constraint-innovation” dynamic. Finally, based on the empirical results, this research puts forward relevant policy suggestions.