Upgrading Of Structure Research Articles

Can the new energy demonstration city policy promote corporate green innovation capability?

New energy demonstration city (NEDC) projects are significantly driving changes in energy structures and sustainable economic development. Corporate green technology innovation is key to achieving an alternative to our current energy use. To explore whether the NEDC project can help to improve companies' green innovation capabilities, this paper presents the dual differential model (DID) to conduct empirical research on panel data in 285 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2008 to 2020. The DID model is arguably the most adequate for addressing the issue of endogenous problems. The research shows that the NEDC project has improved corporate green innovation capability; the findings of mechanism analysis show that NEDC projects have incited an upgrading of the local urban industrial structure and thereby improved corporate green innovation. The policy effect of NEDC projects obviously shows “insufficient momentum”; the heterogeneity test found that the promotion effect of NEDC projects for corporate green innovation in eastern cities, major cities, large-scale companies and energy-dependent industries is more significant. Based on the conclusions and heterogeneous characteristics for promoting corporate green innovation capability, the government should roll out further NEDC projects in a systematic way and more closely monitor the quality of such new energy demonstration cities.

Does energy-consuming rights trading policy achieve urban pollution and carbon reduction? A quasi-natural experiment from China

Energy-consuming rights trading (ECRT) policy represents a critical policy instrument for China striving to achieve its “dual carbon” objectives, captivating significant attention for its potential to reduce pollution and carbon emissions. This study utilizes panel data from 290 Chinese cities spanning 2010 to 2021, leveraging the ECRT policy as a quasi-natural experiment. Employing Difference-in-Differences (DID) and Propensity Score Matching-Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) methodologies, we assess the effect of the ECRT policy on urban pollution and carbon reduction levels. The findings indicate: 1) Relative to non-demonstration cities, the ECRT policy significantly enhances pollution and carbon reduction levels in demonstration cities; this conclusion remains robust after rigorous testing. 2) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the policy’s effect on pollution and carbon reduction is more significant in the central and western regions, and particularly evident in key and resource-based cities. 3) Mechanism tests demonstrate that the policy facilitates urban pollution and carbon reduction by cultivating green technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading. Therefore, to further advance the ECRT policy, it is necessary to expand the breadth, depth, and flexibility of policy implementation, while also optimizing environmental regulations to fully leverage the system’s potential in enhancing urban pollution and carbon emissions.

Can the energy transition drive economic development? Empirical analysis of China's provincial panel data

With the rise of global environmental awareness and increasing concern about the impacts of climate change, the energy transition has become a pressing issue worldwide. However, in existing studies, the conclusions on the impact of the energy transition on economic development are not consistent. Given these discrepancies and the complexity of the influencing factors in the process of energy transition, the study of the relationship between energy transition and economic development has important theoretical and practical significance for energy policy and economic planning in China and globally. By utilizing provincial panel data from 2000 to 2019 in China and constructing an econometric model, this study empirically examines the influence of the energy transition on economic development. The results show that the energy transition is beneficial for China's economic development. Furthermore, regional heterogeneity significantly stimulates economic development through the upgrading of industrial structure, technological innovation, and environmental regulation. This study provides important empirical evidence and a quantitative basis for actively and steadily promoting the energy transition while considering economic growth.

The impact of environmental regulation on water resources carrying capacity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

ABSTRACT Enhancing environmental regulation (ER) is a key strategy for improving the carrying capacity of water resources. This study employs panel data from 11 provinces and cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt, spanning from 2008 to 2022, to calculate the carrying capacity of water resources using an enhanced TOPSIS model. It further examines the threshold effect and spatial spillover effect of ER on water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) through the construction of panel threshold models and spatial econometric models, respectively. Findings indicate a stable growth trend in the carrying capacity of water resources across the Yangtze River Economic Belt, with the upstream region typically exhibiting a higher capacity than both the midstream and downstream regions. ER positively impacts WRCC, demonstrating a single threshold effect. Nonetheless, the positive effect of ER on WRCC experiences diminishing marginal returns as industrial structure upgrades. While strengthening ER positively influences the carrying capacity of water resources in local areas, it exerts a negative spatial spillover effect on neighboring regions. In light of these findings, implementing differentiated ER, optimizing industrial structure and collaborative policies and promoting technological innovation are vital for fostering WRCC.

How Environmental Regulation Affects Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction Synergies—An Empirical Analysis Based on Chinese Provincial Data

Faced with the dual challenges of environmental pollution and climate change, it is of great significance to study the impact of relevant environmental regulations on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction and their influence mechanisms. Based on a theoretical analysis using the panel data of 30 provinces in China, a spatial econometric model and an intermediary effect model are used to investigate the impact of environmental regulations on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction and the transmission mechanisms potentially responsible for these effects. The empirical results show the following: (1) The three kinds of environmental regulation effectively facilitate the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, taking the following order when ranked according to the intensity of their effects: command-type environmental regulation (ER1) > market-based environmental regulation (ER2) > voluntary environmental regulation (ER3). (2) Environmental regulation effectively promotes the synergistic effect of pollution and carbon reduction through the three transmission mechanisms of stimulating technological innovation (TI), industrial structure upgrading (ISU), and restricting foreign direct investment (FDI), which take the following effectiveness order: TI > FDI > ISU. Based on the results of the study, policy suggestions to facilitate pollution reduction and carbon synergies are proposed to help China’s green and low-carbon development.

Exploring the spatial spillover effects of climate mitigation policies on the upgrading of industrial structure: Evidence from 31 provinces of China

In the context of the formidable challenge posed by global climate change, achieving high-quality and sustainable economic development has become a topic of widespread concern. Since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, nations worldwide have actively engaged in the fight against climate change. As the largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, China has introduced a series of low-carbon policies to attain its sustainability goals. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019, this paper investigates the spatial spillover effects of the carbon Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) on the industrial structure upgrading and its transmission mechanisms by constructing spatial econometric models and a multiple mediation effect model. The results indicate that ETS exerts a promotional effect on industrial structure upgrading within policy pilot regions. However, in the peripheral areas outside the pilot regions, there exists a negative spillover effect, and the inhibitory effect is stronger than the promotional effect. Moreover, consumer upgrading and technological innovation emerge as two major pathways through which ETS stimulates the upgrading of industrial structures. Results from two sets of heterogeneity tests reveal that the impact of low-carbon policies on industrial structure upgrading is most pronounced in the eastern regions and areas characterized by high pollution.

Public hospital reform, family health consumption and health inequality: evidence from China Family Panel Studies.

In 2017, China launched a comprehensive reform of public hospitals and eliminated drug markups, aiming to solve the problem of expensive medical treatment and allow poor and low-income people to enjoy basic health opportunities. This study attempts to evaluate the policy impact of public hospital reform on the health inequality of Chinese residents and analyze its micro-level mechanism from the perspective of household consumption structure. Studying the inherent causal connection between public hospital reform and health inequality is of paramount significance for strengthening China's healthcare policies, system design, raising the average health level of Chinese residents, and achieving the goal of ensuring a healthy life for individuals of all age groups. Based on the five waves of data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted in 2012-2020, We incorporates macro-level statistical indicators such as the time of public hospital reforms, health insurance surplus, and aging, generating 121,447 unbalanced panel data covering 27 provinces in China for five periods. This data was used to explore the impact of public hospital reform on health inequality. Logical and empirical tests were conducted to determine whether the reform, by altering family medical care and healthy leisure consumption expenditures, affects the micro-pathways of health inequality improvement. We constructed a two-way fixed model based on the re-centralized influence function (RIF_CI_OLS) and a chained mediation effects model to verify the hypotheses mentioned above. Public hospital reform can effectively improve the health inequality situation among Chinese residents. The reform significantly reduces household medical expenses, increases healthy leisure consumption, promotes the upgrading of family health consumption structure, and lowers the health inequality index. In terms of indirect effects, the contribution of the increase in healthy leisure consumption is relatively greater. Public hospital reform significantly alleviates health inequality in China, with household health consumption serving as an effective intermediary pathway in the aforementioned impact. In the dual context of global digitization and exacerbated population aging, enhancing higher education levels and vigorously developing the health industry may be two key factors contributing to this effect.

New Exploration of Industrial Structure Upgrading under the Wave of Digital Finance

Based on the panel data of cities in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2011 to 2021, Through the two-way fixed effect model, this paper explores the mechanisms, effects and heterogeneity of digital finance development in promoting the upgrading of industrial structure. The results show that digital finance can significantly promote the upgrading of industrial structure, among which innovation and entrepreneurship is an important transmission path, and technology and finance play a key role in the process. Heterogeneity analysis shows that in non-central cities and cities with high consumption level, the promotion effect of digital finance development on industrial structure upgrading is more obvious. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen the construction of digital financial infrastructure, build an innovation-driven entrepreneurial environment, promote, and optimize the consumption environment according to city conditions.

Research on the Role of the Digital Economy in the Modern Logistics Industry

The world has entered an era of digital economy, and China’s logistics industry is accelerating its digital transformation to promote the upgrading of industrial structure, enhance safety and efficiency, improve service quality, optimize user experience, and ultimately drive intelligent transformation. Furthermore, in response to the current state of digital logistics, this paper proposes optimization and innovation policies such as strengthening the training of logistics innovation technical personnel, enhancing the economic infrastructure of digital logistics, and promoting deep integration between the digital economy and logistics industr -to enrich logistic theory under the digital economy and promote high-quality development of contemporary logistics industry.

The impact of digitalization on the rich and the poor: Digital divide or digital inclusion?

With the spread of digitization and regional economic imbalances brought about by industrial structure transformation, the income gap between urban and rural areas in China is increasing and the gap between rich and poor should be considered. Using county-level panel data from 2015 to 2019 in China, this paper first analyzes the overall impact of digital development on the wealth gap and the impact for different sub-points of the sample from the direct effect perspective. Then, it explores the intrinsic mechanism of digital development in migrating the wealth gap from the indirect effect perspective, focusing on industrial structure and consumer spending. The results of the study show that the level of digital development is negatively correlated with the rich-poor gap. When digital development is at a high level, it suppresses the rich-poor gap, and the suppression effect gradually increases. In addition, the impact of digital development on wealth gap is not limited to direct effects but is also manifested indirectly through changes in industrial structure and consumer spending. Within this context, industry structure upgrading, guided by both market and government forces, plays a positive role in narrowing the wealth gap as modifiable mediating variables. Government-led upgrading in industrial structure demonstrates a more comprehensive moderating effect on addressing wealth disparities within the context of digitalization.

Environmental Regulation, Industrial Structure Upgrading and Ecological Efficiency: Evidence from China’s Implementation of Environmental Protection Tax

Environmental Regulation, Industrial Structure Upgrading and Ecological Efficiency: Evidence from China’s Implementation of Environmental Protection Tax

The Impact of Renewable Energy Development on Regional Carbon Emission Reduction: Based on the Spatio-Temporal Analysis of 30 Provinces in China.

The development of renewable energy has become an important means for the world to cope with climate change, ensure energy security, and protect the ecological environment. Using the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2021, this study used the mediating effect model and the spatial Durbin model (SDM) to explore the mechanism and spatial effects of renewable energy development on China's regional carbon emission reduction. The results show that: (1) Renewable energy development can help to reduce carbon emission intensity. (2) The results of mechanism analysis show that renewable energy development reduces carbon intensity by improving energy structure, promoting industrial structure optimization, and industrial structure upgrading. (3) The development of renewable energy can not only reduce the local carbon intensity but also have a positive spillover effect on the carbon intensity of neighboring regions. (4) Further analysis shows that the long-term effect of renewable energy development on carbon emissions is greater than the short-term effect. At the same time, the heterogeneity analysis shows that compared with the Yellow River basin, the development of renewable energy has a significant carbon emission reduction effect in the Yangtze River Economic Belt region. Energy-rich areas fall into the "resource curse", which makes the carbon emission reduction effect of renewable energy development not significant. This paper has certain reference significance for promoting reasonable decomposition between regions and formulating renewable energy development policies.

FDI and industrial development in a mega-city region: a modelling study on the Pearl River Delta

ABSTRACT Foreign direct investment (FDI) and regional development are mutually interwoven phenomena. This paper introduces an analytical framework to investigate the interaction mechanism between FDI and regional industrial structure. This framework posits first that FDI generally has a significant influence on the industrial structure in the region concerned, specifically through intervening mechanisms such as capital supply, active selection, passive competition, product linkage, imitation and demonstration and employee flows. Secondly, the industrial structure, in turn, also affects FDI flows through mechanisms including market demand, factor supply and policy or institutional factors. Finally, there are bi-directional interactions; using a spatial interaction framework, the present study applies and tests a simultaneous equation model and a spatial Durbin model to analyse empirical data from 15 urban regions in the Pearl River Delta mega-city region (PRD) in China spanning the period 2005–2018. The key findings from this multi-scalar analysis are: (i) there are substantial interactive effects between FDI and industrial structure, with the rationalisation and upgrading of the industrial structure significantly promoting FDI inflows into the PRD; (ii) FDI inflows, in turn, contribute to the reinforcement and upgrading of the industrial structure in the PRD; and (iii) the interactions between FDI and industrial structure exhibit significant spatial-economic growth effects. We also find that moderator factors, including independent R&D level, market size, marketisation level, labour cost, infrastructure and government expenditure, have discernible impacts on FDI inflows and the rationalisation and upscaling of the industrial-economic structure in the area concerned. Finally, we note that, in our study, significant spatial dependence effects among urban areas inside the PRD area are observed and modelled. The discussion of the empirical findings leads to the identification of several important policy implications and lessons for regional development strategies from an FDI perspective.

Analysis of Policy Options Based on Data-Driven Economic Cycles and Industrial Structure Upgrading

China's economy has achieved a high growth rate of 9.8% in cyclical fluctuations, and the industrial structure has been continuously improved with growth. However, the irrationality of the tertiary industry structure and its internal structure still restricts the sustainable development. The optimization of the industrial structure depends on many factors, such as government policies, economic growth mode, resource constraints, economic development stage and economic cycle stage. Based on data-driven analysis, this paper analyzes the general path and policy choice of economic cycle to adjust China's industrial structure, and the impact of economic cycle on the upgrading of industrial structure. After the actual analysis, we found that the threshold of economic growth in economically developed regions is high, the role of financial development in stimulating industrial structure is not prominent, and industrial upgrading is relatively difficult. Industrial upgrading is difficult.

Can green finance improve eco-efficiency? New Insights from China.

Achieving economic development and ecological protection simultaneously is an inevitable selection for sustainable development in today's world, so it is crucial to improve eco-efficiency (EE). According to Chinese panel data at the provincial level between 2010 and 2020, this research explores the nexus between green finance (GF) and EE. The results denote that GF can significantly improve EE, and the higher the level of EE, the stronger the effect of improvement. The upgrading of industrial structure, optimization of energy structure, enterprises' concern for environmental protection and the public's attention to the environment are all favorable factors that can enhance the promotion effect of GF on EE. Additionally, this facilitation can only be played under a good external environment and mature internal conditions. Our findings can provide new insights for improving EE by developing GF.

Research on the Impact of Digital Trade on Urban Carbon Emissions in China under the "Dual Carbon" Target

After the "dual carbon" goal was put forward, low-carbon development has gradually become the focus of attention from all walks of life, and digital technology plays an important role in the process of helping carbon emission reduction. Digital trade, as an active field in international economy and trade, is of great significance to the economic growth of all countries and to deal with the problem of carbon emission reduction. This paper analyzes the transmission path of digital trade on urban carbon emission reduction in China from the theory of scale effect, structure effect and technological progress effect, and based on the panel data of 280 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, uses two-way fixed effect model to conduct regression analysis on the carbon emission reduction effect of digital trade. The study finds that China's digital trade development reduces urban carbon emission intensity, and the conclusion is still valid after the robustness test. Heterogeneity analyses show that the carbon emission reduction effect of digital trade varies in different regions in the East, West and Centre, as well as in regions with different degrees of carbon emissions. In terms of the transmission path, digital trade reduces regional carbon emission intensity by promoting scale effects, technological progress and industrial structure upgrading. Therefore, on the road of actively realizing the goal of "dual carbon", China should vigorously promote the development of international trade mode mainly represented by digital trade. At the same time, we fully recognize the heterogeneity of the impact of digital trade on carbon emissions, and adopt differentiated policies according to the different utility levels of digital trade on carbon emissions in different regions. This will narrow the "digital divide" between cities and help achieve China's "dual carbon" goal.

From bits to emissions: how FinTech benefits climate resilience?

With financial technology (FinTech) emerging as a pivotal force driving business model innovation and reshaping market competitiveness, its potential contribution to sustainability has garnered widespread attention. Drawing on carbon emissions data at the county level from 2011 to 2017 in China, alongside information on the FinTech companies, this study reveals that FinTech significantly reduces regional carbon emissions intensity. This effect is particularly pronounced in developed regions and metropolitan cities. These findings withstand rigorous scrutiny, including the application of instrumental variable strategies, controlling for financial attributes, and robustness checks altering model specifications. Mechanism analysis indicates that FinTech fosters optimization and upgrading of industrial structure and promotes the development of the ICT industry, while simultaneously driving down the proportion of coal in electricity generation and per unit GDP energy consumption, and increasing the proportion of new energy generation, thereby enhancing overall energy efficiency. The evidence presented herein supports the role of FinTech in enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions and achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Enhancing Industry Evolution: The Role of Digital Inclusive Finance in Optimizing and Upgrading the Industrial Structure

The upgrading of digital inclusive finance has markedly enhanced the financing and operational milieu for small and micro enterprises (SMEs), exerting a pivotal influence on the optimization of the national industrial structure. This paper leverages panel data spanning from 2011 to 2020 across 30 provincial-level administrative regions within China to scrutinize the ramifications of digital inclusive finance on the amelioration and elevation of the industrial framework. It endeavors to assimilate the construct of digital inclusive finance into the analytical paradigm concerning the evolution of industrial structures, embarking on a dual-faceted investigation from both theoretical constructs and empirical evidences to elucidate the dynamics between digital inclusive finance and the upgrading of China’s industrial structure. The empirical outcomes underscore that digital inclusive finance substantially fosters the refinement of the industrial architecture, particularly accentuating its positive leverage on the rationalization of industrial structure. Subsequent explorations reveal a regional heterogeneity in the facilitative effects of digital inclusive finance on industrial structure optimization and upgrading, with more pronounced significances identified within the central and western regions of China. Moreover, it is discerned that divergent domains of digital inclusive finance impart differential impacts on the optimization efficacy of the industrial structure. This discourse not only augments the scholarly dialogue on digital finance and industrial progression but also proffers empirical insights for policy formulations aimed at harnessing digital inclusive finance as a strategic instrument for economic augmentation and industrial sophistication.

The influence of regional industrial structure on the suitability of biomass energy development: A case study of 30 counties and cities in a cold region of China

The development of the biomass economy contributes to economic growth and social development. The study of biomass energy economy from the perspective of industrial structure type has the significance of promoting the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, promoting the development of green industry and other aspects. It helps to promote the sustainable development of the economy and society. And industrial structure is a major component of the socio-economic system. Therefore, it is necessary to study the impact of material energy supply and demand from the perspective of regional industrial structure type. The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between the type of industrial structure and the development of biomass energy from the perspective of the economic direction, so as to fill the gap in this research perspective. Based on the three major industries generally regarded to constitute GDP - agriculture, industry, and service - the regression results of STATA software were used to calculate biomass potential according to crop distribution status. Using the ArcGIS analysis tool, the biomass break-even model related to resource supply-demand has been used to obtain the break-even status of the research area under six industrial structures in the past 20 years. According to research results, the break-even degree of biomass energy supply is between 0.109 and 1.236 when the industrial structure types of counties and cities are service-agriculture-industry and industry-agriculture-service. This is suitable for biomass energy development. When the industrial structure type of counties and cities is service-industry-agriculture, the break-even degree of biomass energy supply is between -0.428 and 0.277, which is not suitable for biomass energy development.

Role of scientific and technological innovations on industrial upgradation in China: A spatial econometric analysis.

China is in a phase of high-quality development, where scientific and technological innovations are serving as the primary driving force for its development strategy. This emphasis on innovations is expected to fuel the upgrading of the industrial structure. This study investigates the role of scientific and technological innovations in industrial upgradation in China using spatial econometric analysis. Leveraging the data of 31 provinces of China from 2005 to 2022, we employed a spatial Durbin model to determine the spatial spillover effects of scientific and technological innovations on industrial upgradation. Our findings reveal the significant positive spatial spillover effects, indicating that provinces with higher levels of scientific and technological innovations tend to experience greater industrial upgradation, which in turn contributes to regional economic development. Furthermore, the findings suggest a strong spatial correlation between innovation and the upgrading of industrial structures, indicating that regional innovations have the potential to drive China's industrial upgradation. These results underscore the critical role of scientific and technological innovations in promoting industrial upgradation and regional development in China.