Search Results (26)

Amidst the global drive toward sustainable development, this study responds to China’s pressing imperative for a green and low-carbon transition. The research begins by theoretically examining the viability and intrinsic mechanisms through which the cultivation of new-pattern productive forces can foster environmentally sound, high-quality economic growth. Subsequently, by leveraging panel data from 30 Chinese provinces covering the period 2011–2023, a two-way fixed-effects model is deployed to empirically assess the linkage between new-pattern productive forces and green total factor productivity (GTFP). The empirical results demonstrate the following: (1) New-pattern productive forces exert a statistically significant positive influence on GTFP—a finding that withstands multiple robustness checks; (2) Heterogeneity tests reveal that the GTFP-enhancing effect is pronounced in provinces with relatively low carbon intensity, whereas it remains insignificant in high-carbon-intensity regions; (3) Mechanism analysis identifies green technology innovation as a pivotal mediator in the process through which new-pattern productivity improves GTFP; (4) A non-linear, dual-threshold effect characterizes the relationship, wherein the GTFP-promoting impact of new-pattern productive forces strengthens progressively as the development level of green finance crosses successive thresholds. Collectively, these insights advance the understanding of how new-pattern productive forces enable GTFP gains, furnish novel evidence for steering high-quality economic development, and thereby support the broader global sustainability agenda. Full article

Water-scarce river basins face the dual challenge of sustaining development progress while maintaining water resources carrying capacity (WRCC), yet city-scale evidence remains limited on how New Quality Productive Force (NQPF)-driven high-quality development reshapes WRCC through coupled coordination and development–pressure decoupling processes. Using a balanced panel of 15 cities in the Weihe River Basin (WRB) during 2014–2023, an integrated analytical framework was implemented by combining composite index evaluation (WRCC and the high-quality development index (HQDI)), the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) model, Tapio decoupling diagnosis between HQDI and total water use (TWU), and logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) decomposition. The results indicate that: (1) both the HQD index and WRCC exhibited sustained growth, with their CCD improving significantly from mild imbalance to primary coordination, while a distinct spatial pattern of “Guanzhong leading, northern Shaanxi improving, and eastern Gansu stabilizing” emerged; (2) the HQDI–WRCC linkage was further supported by pooled statistical tests and a two-way fixed effects specification with city-clustered robust standard errors, confirming a significant positive association (Pearson = 0.517, p < 0.01; Spearman = 0.183, p < 0.05) and a stable positive effect of HQDI on WRCC (β = 0.194, p = 0.0088); (3) Tapio results reveal an overall transition from earlier volatility toward a later-period regime dominated by Weak Decoupling (WD) and Strong Decoupling (SD), implying that development progress became less dependent on rising TWU, although pronounced inter-city heterogeneity persisted; (4) LMDI decomposition further identified water use intensity and industrial structure as primary inhibitors of water consumption, whereas the R&D scale effect increased nearly 60-fold, emerging as a major driver of water demand. This study provides a mechanistic basis for coordinating ecological protection and high-quality development under rigid water constraints in water-scarce basins. Full article

New quality productive forces (NQPFs) provide vital impetus for the development of advanced manufacturing clusters (AMCs). Using 30 provincial panel data in China from 2013 to 2023, this study employs two-way fixed effects, mediation, and threshold effect models to analyze the impact of NQPFs on AMCs. The results reveal that (1) NQPFs significantly promote the development of AMCs, and this conclusion remains robust after rigorous endogeneity tests and robustness tests. (2) NQPFs exert a stronger driving effect on AMCs in coastal regions than in inland regions (both significant), and they are significant in non-resource-based regions and highly industrialized regions. (3) NQPFs indirectly foster the development of AMCs by prompting technological innovation (encompassing imitative and independent innovation), facilitating talent agglomeration, and driving industrial structure advancement. (4) The driving effect of NQPFs exhibits a significant nonlinear upward trend. This study provides new theoretical insights and empirical evidence for the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry. Full article

The development of New Quality Productive Forces (abbreviated as NQPFs) is crucial for agricultural modernization and agricultural sustainable growth in China. Leveraging panel data from 31 Chinese provinces (2012–2022), we employ a two-way fixed effects model to examine the influence of NQPFs on agricultural sustainable development and the underlying mechanisms. Robustness tests validate that NQPFs exert a significant positive effect on agricultural sustainable development. Agricultural technological innovation emerges as the primary channel through which NQPFs foster agricultural sustainable development. Further analysis indicates that rural economic growth positively moderates this relationship, amplifying NQPFs’ contribution to agricultural sustainability. In addition, the impact of NQPFs exhibits significant variation across regions and agricultural functional zones. Our findings suggest that to foster agricultural sustainable development, governments should prioritize cultivating NQPFs, tailor policies to regional contexts, and concurrently enhance agricultural technology and stimulate rural economic growth. Full article

China has shifted from a stage of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development. This highlights the critical need for policy frameworks that synergistically align technological innovation with sustainable development. To address the research gap in systematically assessing the collaboration between New Energy Industry (NEI) policies and New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF), this study proposes a three-dimensional “Goal-Instrument-Value” framework. Methodologically, we employ a combination of deep learning models (including LDA topic modeling, LSTM networks, and the Soft EDA algorithm) and policy quantification methods, analyzing 135 NQPF policies and nearly 800 NEI policies. The findings reveal a significant and strengthening synergy between the two policy domains. Notably, a misalignment exists in the goal dimension, where the weight of science and technology in NEI policies remains modest at 20%, indicating substantial potential for enhancement. In the instrument dimension, there is a predominant reliance on economically driven instruments, along with a notable underutilization of environmental instruments. Nevertheless, the overall synergy in policy value, as measured by a specialized New-Force Dictionary and the BM25 model, exhibits a consistent upward trend. Based on these findings, we recommend strengthening investment in NEI technology R&D, increasing the deployment of environment-oriented policy instruments, and establishing a cross-departmental policy synergy mechanism. These measures are crucial to fully harness the synergistic potential of NEI and NQPF policies for accelerating China’s green industrial transformation and achieving its sustainable development goals. Full article

Under the impetus of the “dual carbon” goals, understanding how green finance (GF) fosters the green development of New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF) is a critical issue. This study employs panel data from 31 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2023 to empirically investigate the impact and mechanisms of GF on the green effect of NQPF, which is measured by a novel evaluation system focusing on resource conservation and environmental friendliness. The findings from the two-way fixed effects model and instrumental variable approach reveal that GF significantly promotes the green development of NQPF. Mechanism analyses confirm that industrial structure upgrading serves as a mediating channel, while green technological innovation strengthens the positive effect of GF. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis indicates that this promoting effect is more pronounced in eastern regions and areas with medium levels of economic development. The research findings provide valuable insights for policymakers to design differentiated green finance strategies and for enterprises to leverage financial support for green transition. Full article

Digital finance, representing the deep integration of finance and technology, has become a critical enabler of sustainable industrial transformation. Focusing on resource-based enterprises (RBEs)—key actors in transitioning towards sustainable practices—this study investigates how digital finance development fosters new quality productive forces (NQPFs), a core driver of high-quality, sustainable development. Utilizing panel data from Chinese A-share listed RBEs (2008–2022), we measure NQPF using the entropy method and gauge regional digital finance development with the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index (DFII). Empirical analysis employing two-way fixed effects and panel threshold regression models provides robust evidence that digital finance significantly enhances NQPFs within RBEs. Crucially, mechanism analysis identifies three fundamental pathways underpinning sustainability: (1) mitigating financial constraints; (2) facilitating technological innovation and transformation; (3) strengthening green transition awareness. Furthermore, the impact of digital finance exhibits synergistic enhancement alongside increasing environmental regulation intensity and improved financial resource allocation efficiency. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effect is more pronounced in regions with lower marketization, within state-owned enterprises, and among RBEs in recession stages. Collectively, these findings offer significant implications for policymakers and industry practitioners aiming to strategically leverage digital finance to accelerate the sustainable transformation of resource-intensive industries, thereby contributing directly to environmentally sustainable and resilient economic development. Full article

The Science and Technology Finance ecosystem plays an increasingly important role in shaping the sustainable development of new quality productive forces (NQPF). This study, based on the perspective of complex systems and using a multi-period fsQCA approach, takes 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in mainland China as cases to analyze the relationship between the Science and Technology Finance ecosystem and NQPF from 2017 to 2022. The findings are as follows: first, the antecedent configurations of NQPF are multiple, with the variables of the Science and Technology Finance ecosystem jointly matching and working together to drive its development. Second, in 2017–2018, there were three configurations: the “Bank–Enterprise” collaborative-driven type, the Bank-led type, and the Enterprise-led type; in 2019–2020, there were three configurations: the “Bank–Enterprise” collaborative-driven type, the “Bank–Enterprise–Market” collaborative-driven type, and the “Enterprise–Market” collaborative-driven type; in 2021–2022, there was one configuration, namely the Multi-Actor collaborative-driven type. Third, the development of NQPF across the three stages underwent an evolution from being dominated by core financial resources, to coordinated driving by core finance and the market, and finally to multi-stakeholder collaborative promotion. Fourth, in the configurations where high-level NQPF was not achieved, insufficiency of Enterprise Self-owned Funds (ESOF) was identified as a common problem. These findings provide theoretical references and policy implications for optimizing the Science and Technology Finance ecosystem in line with local conditions. Full article

Climate change is a critical constraint on the development of new-quality productive forces (NQPFs), making it essential to clarify its relationship with urban development strategies to enhance productivity. Using panel data from 284 Chinese cities during 2010–2022, this study leverages the climate-resilient city pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment and applies a double machine learning approach to estimate both the causal impact and underlying mechanisms of this policy on NQPFs. We further examine heterogeneous effects across geographic regions and city types. Our findings show that first, climate-resilient urban development significantly boosts NQPFs, with results remaining robust across multiple sensitivity tests. Second, this effect operates through three key channels—talent agglomeration, data flow enhancement, and infrastructure-related industrial upgrading. Third, the policy’s impact is stronger in western and coastal cities; resource-based cities and non-environmentally protected cities exhibit greater responsiveness, amplifying the positive outcomes. This study provides systematic empirical evidence on the nexus between climate resilience and high-quality development, offering actionable insights for designing localized strategies to advance climate-resilient urbanization and foster high-quality productive forces. Full article

Productivity has long been the fundamental driver of human social progress and national prosperity. Against the backdrop of technological advancement and social development, New Quality Productive Forces (NQPFs) have emerged as a new form of productivity, serving as a key focus for corporate transformation and upgrading as well as sustainable national development. Based on the panel data of 28,107 listed companies in China from 2011 to 2022, this study employs a three-way fixed-effects model to investigate the impact of green finance (GF) on corporate NQPFs. The main findings are as follows: First, GF exhibits a significant positive correlation with the enhancement of corporate NQPFs. Second, financing constraints and corporate social responsibility strengthen the empowering effect of GF on corporate NQPFs, while environmental law enforcement weakens this effect, reflecting a “synergistic dilemma” between government intervention and market mechanisms in promoting corporate NQPFs. Third, the effect of GF on corporate NQPFs shows significant heterogeneity depending on environmental and social risks, the nature of property rights, public attention, and firm size. These findings provide important insights for optimizing green finance policies and enhancing corporate productivity. Full article

The New Quality Productive Force (NQPF) serves as a key driver in narrowing regional economic disparities and promoting sustainable development. Clarifying the mechanism through which it affects regional economic disparities not only facilitates coordinated regional development but also provides critical insights for synergizing high-quality economic growth with ecological and environmental sustainability. Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2012 and 2022, this study systematically examines the impact of New Quality Productive Forces on regional economic disparities, analyzing the mediating role of scientific and technological innovation as well as the nonlinear moderating effect of urbanization rate on this relationship. The findings reveal: First, NQPF significantly contributes to narrowing regional economic disparities overall, but its effects exhibit notable regional heterogeneity—widening disparities in eastern regions while demonstrating significant convergence effects in central and western regions. Second, mechanism analysis indicates that scientific and technological innovation is a critical transmission channel through which NQPF reduces regional disparities, as NQPF indirectly promotes coordinated regional development by fostering technological innovation. Third, threshold effect tests show that the convergence effect of NQPF varies nonlinearly with urbanization levels, and its enabling effect weakens once urbanization exceeds a specific threshold. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are proposed, including continuously nurturing New Quality Productive Forces, strengthening the drive of scientific and technological innovation, and coordinating urbanization with ecological civilization construction. These measures aim to provide new momentum for achieving high-quality regional economic development and sustainable transformation. Full article

This paper takes the quasi-natural experiment from the National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone (NBDCPZ) in China as an example to examine the impact of market-oriented allocation of data elements on enhancing enterprises’ New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF). Based on panel data from China’s A-share listed enterprises on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges between 2011 and 2022, this study employs a robust policy evaluation method, the multi-way fixed effects staggered difference-in-differences (MWFE Staggered DID) method, to analyze the impact of the NBDCPZ on NQPF comprehensively. The key findings are threefold: First, the NBDCPZ significantly boosts enterprises’ NQPF within their jurisdictions. Second, the NBDCPZ enhances NQPF by accelerating enterprise digital transformation, and the digital talent can amplify the promotional effect of the NBDCPZ on enterprise digital transformation. Third, the NQPF-enhancing effects are more pronounced for privately owned enterprises (POEs), foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), and smaller enterprises, whereas they exhibit an inhibitory impact on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and large enterprises. Fourth, the promotional effect of the NBDCPZ on enterprises’ NQPF varies across different industries. Furthermore, regional (city-level) digital infrastructure and financial development levels amplify the NQPF-enhancing effects of the NBDCPZ. Full article

The development of New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF), fueled by simultaneous progress of informatization, digitalization, and ecologization, creates a transformative sustainability framework that connects economic growth and environmental protection. People usually think that environmental regulation enhances regional ecologization, thereby boosting total NQPF. Does this hold true for China’s Yangtze River Basin? Utilizing panel data from 2015 to 2022, this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on NQPF across 86 prefecture-level cities in the basin. Our empirical results corroborate that environmental regulation exerts a statistically significant positive effect on digital NQPF development, which in turn contributes substantially to overall NQPF enhancement—This finding remains robust across alternative estimation methods. Our analysis further identifies three primary mechanisms driving this effect: industrial upgrading, technological innovation, and GDP growth. The effect is nonlinear and characterized by a threshold: in less developed areas, environmental regulation somewhat helps, whereas in more developed regions, reaching a certain strength significantly enhances both digital and overall productivity. Furthermore, environmental regulation demonstrates notable spillover effects: they enhance local outcomes while simultaneously improving digital and overall NQPF in neighboring regions. These findings offer strong evidence and valuable policy insights for advancing the digital transformation and high-quality sustainable development of the Yangtze River Basin. Full article

China’s economy is shifting from an era of rapid expansion to one focused on high-quality development, making it imperative to tackle environmental degradation linked to energy use. Understanding how New Quality Productive Forces (NQPF) interact with energy efficiency, along with the mechanisms driving this relationship, is essential for economic transformation and long-term sustainability. This study establishes an evaluation framework for NQPF, integrating technological, green, and digital dimensions. We apply fixed-effects models, the spatial Durbin model (SDM), a moderation model, and a threshold model to analyze the influence of NQPF on Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency (GTFEE) and its spatial implications. This underscores the necessity of distinguishing it from traditional productivity frameworks and adopting a new analytical perspective. Furthermore, by considering dimensions such as input, application, innovation capability, and market efficiency, we reveal the moderating role and heterogeneous effects of artificial intelligence (AI). The findings are as follows: The development of NQPF significantly enhances GTFEE, and the conclusion remains robust after tail reduction and endogeneity tests. NQPF has a positive spatial spillover effect on GTFEE; that is, while improving the local GTFEE, it also improves neighboring regions GTFEE. The advancement of AI significantly strengthens the positive impact of NQPF on GTFEE. AI exhibits a significant U-shaped threshold effect: as AI levels increase, its moderating effect transitions from suppression to facilitation, with marginal benefits gradually increasing over time. Full article

Achieving sustainable development goals remains a core issue in global development. In response, China has proposed the development of new quality productive forces (NQPFs) through innovative thinking, emphasizing that fostering NQPFs is both an intrinsic requirement and a pivotal focus for advancing high-quality development. Concurrently, the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector serves as a critical direction for China’s economic restructuring and upgrading. This paper places “new quality productive forces” and “intelligent transformation of manufacturing” within the same analytical framework. Starting from the logical chain of “new quality productive forces—three major mechanisms—intelligent transformation of manufacturing,” it concretizes the value implications of new quality productive forces into a systematic conceptual framework driven by the synergistic interaction of three major mechanisms: the mechanism of revolutionary technological breakthroughs, the mechanism of innovative allocation of production factors, and the mechanism of deep industrial transformation and upgrading. This study constructs a “3322” evaluation index system for NQPFs, based on three formative processes, three driving forces, two supporting systems, and two-dimensional characteristics. Simultaneously, it builds an evaluation index system for the intelligent transformation of manufacturing, encompassing intelligent technology, intelligent applications, and intelligent benefits. Using national time-series data from 2012 to 2023, this study assesses the development levels of both NQPFs and the intelligent transformation of manufacturing during this period. The study further analyzes the impact of NQPFs on the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector. The research results indicate the following: (1) NQPFs drive the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry through the three mechanisms of innovative allocation of production factors, revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, and deep transformation and upgrading of industries. (2) The development of NQPFs exhibits a slow upward trend; however, the outbreak of the pandemic and Sino-US trade frictions have caused significant disruptions to the development of new-type productive forces. (3) The level of intelligent manufacturing continues to improve; however, from 2020 to 2023, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Sino-US trade conflicts, the level of intelligent benefits has slightly declined. (4) NQPFs exert a powerful driving force on the intelligent transformation of manufacturing, exerting a significant positive impact on intelligent technology, intelligent applications, and intelligent efficiency levels. Full article