Search Results (19)

The escalating global imperative for carbon neutrality demands a fundamental transformation in how we drive green technology innovation. This systematic review addresses a critical gap in understanding how institutional drivers, mediated through New Quality Productive Forces (NQPFs), catalyze green technology innovation (GTI). Through a comprehensive analysis of 80 peer-reviewed studies, we identify and validate a “Three-Engine” mechanism operating at micro (enterprise incentives), meso (resource allocation), and macro (ecosystem synergy) levels. Our findings reveal that institutional drivers operate through four distinct instrumental channels—supply-side policies (digital foundation push), demand-side policies (market pull validation), environmental regulations (institutional push), and market-based mechanisms (allocation and pricing)—each activating different dimensions of NQPFs. This research demonstrates that the integration of these mechanisms produces synergistic effects stronger than any single channel, with substantial implications for both theory and policy. This work extends the Porter Hypothesis into the digital era and provides policymakers with evidence-based guidance for designing integrated policy mixes that simultaneously accelerate green innovation and ensure inclusive technological transformation. Full article

The agglomeration of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry is a key driver of the low-altitude economy. To understand how UAV industrial agglomeration emerges across cities with different socioeconomic foundations, this study investigates its dynamic configurational pathways. It develops an analytical framework that integrates the institutional environment, market conditions, and knowledge-based capabilities. Using panel data for 280 Chinese cities from 2017 to 2023, we apply panel data qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to identify configurational pathways toward UAV industrial agglomeration. Seven socioeconomic conditions are considered: science and technology expenditure, policy support, infrastructure, social consumption level, financial development, urban innovation capacity, and human capital. The results show that UAV industrial agglomeration arises from the joint effects of multiple conditions, not from any single factor. We identify six pathways that are grouped into three archetypes: institution–knowledge-driven, institution–market-driven, and multidimensional synergistic configurations. The dominant pathways shift over time and differ across city sizes. These findings provide macro-level evidence on the mechanisms underpinning UAV industrial agglomeration. They also offer implications for strengthening the UAV industrial ecosystem. Full article

Foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly high-quality FDI, serves as a critical driver in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, understanding how to enhance FDI quality remains a pressing challenge for policymakers and researchers alike. As a core determinant of FDI quality, the business environment necessitates a thorough examination of its underlying mechanisms. Drawing on provincial-level data and firm-level data from listed foreign-invested enterprises in China spanning 2011 to 2023, this study constructs an FDI quality evaluation index system aligned with the goal of sustainable development at the micro-enterprise level, empirically examines the impact of the business environment on FDI quality. Our findings reveal a consistent upward trajectory in China’s FDI quality throughout the sample period, with the business environment exerting a significantly positive influence. Dimensional decomposition reveals that the government-legal environment and openness to foreign investment demonstrate particularly pronounced positive effects. These effects operate primarily through three mechanisms: stimulating entrepreneurship, accelerating digital transformation, and optimizing supply chain configurations. Moreover, these effects are more pronounced among wholly foreign-owned enterprises, firms with superior knowledge absorption capacity, and those facing higher perceived economic policy uncertainty. Extended analysis further demonstrates that enhanced FDI quality makes substantial contributions to sustainable development outcomes. This study extends the research on FDI quality from the macro level to the micro level, broadening the research perspective of related fields. The conclusions not only furnish robust theoretical evidence on how business environments foster high-quality FDI, but also provide actionable policy insights for countries seeking to optimize their institutional frameworks to attract quality foreign investment in alignment with the SDGs. Full article

In the wake of rapid digital transformation, emerging technologies like FinTech, AI, and Blockchain are reimagining how countries pursue sustainable development. This study examines how FinTech adoption, Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness, and Blockchain activity influence sustainable development performance across G20 economies over the period 2015–2023. Drawing on Innovation-Driven Growth Theory, the Technology–Organization–Environment framework, and Institutional Theory, the analysis evaluates both the direct and complementary effects of these digital technologies on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) outcomes using cross-country panel data and key macroeconomic controls. The results show that FinTech, AI, and Blockchain each exert a positive and statistically significant impact on national sustainability performance, with AI exhibiting the strongest effect. Moreover, the findings reveal meaningful digital complementarities, indicating that coordinated adoption of these technologies amplifies sustainable development gains. Overall, the study provides robust macro-level evidence that digital transformation functions as a strategic driver of sustainability and offers policy-relevant insights for G20 governments seeking to accelerate inclusive, transparent, and environmentally responsible development. Full article

This study investigates the critical macro-level conditions that determine the success of crowdfunding platforms, a pivotal segment of the FinTech landscape. We propose a novel configurational theory to decipher how combinations of institutional, economic, and social factors drive platform performance across diverse European economies. Utilizing fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we move beyond linear models to reveal that high platform success is not a product of any single factor but emerges from specific, equifinal configurations. Our findings demonstrate that robust crowdfunding ecosystems can thrive even in contexts with less advanced technological infrastructure, provided there is a synergistic interplay of platform governance, institutional trust, regulatory quality, and economic competitiveness. This research contributes to the FinTech literature by reframing crowdfunding success as a complex, context-dependent phenomenon, offering valuable insights for platform developers, regulators, and investors seeking to foster vibrant digital financing environments. Full article

Enhancing corporate green innovation has become a critical question in the context of sustainable development. Prior studies have predominantly examined the macro-level effects of regional integration while largely overlooking its micro-level impacts on enterprises. This study aims to examine the institutional effect of regional integration on corporate green innovation. Taking the Yangtze River Delta integration as a quasi-natural experiment, we utilize panel data from A-share listed companies between 2003 and 2022 and apply a multi-period difference-in-differences method. The empirical results reveal that regional integration significantly enhances corporate green innovation, with a more pronounced effect for non-state-owned firms, large firms, and those located in non-corridor cities. Mechanism analyses further reveal that regional integration promotes corporate green innovation by alleviating financing constraints and attracting foreign direct investment. By identifying regional integration as a critical driver of corporate green innovation, this study broadens the research perspective on corporate green innovation and provides policy implications for promoting sustainability through coordinated regional development strategies. Full article

Urban green spaces (UGS) are pivotal to urban sustainability, yet their morphology—patch size, shape, and configuration—remains insufficiently linked to institutional drivers. We investigate how land tenure strength shapes UGS morphology across 36 cities in nine countries. Using OpenStreetMap data, we delineate UGS and compute landscape metrics (AREA, PARA, SHAPE, FRAC, PAFRAC) via FRAGSTATS; we develop a composite index of land tenure strength capturing ownership, use-right duration, expropriation compensation, and government land governance capacity. Spearman’s rank correlations indicate a scale-dependent coupling: stronger tenure is significantly associated with micro-scale patterns—smaller patch areas and more complex, irregular boundaries—consistent with fragmented ownership and higher transaction costs, whereas macro-scale indicators (e.g., overall green coverage/connectivity) show weaker sensitivity. These findings clarify an institutional pathway through which property rights intensity influences the physical fabric of urban nature. Policy implications are twofold: in high-intensity contexts, flexible instruments (e.g., transferable development rights, negotiated acquisition, ecological compensation) can maintain network connectivity via embedded, fine-grain interventions; in low-intensity contexts, one-off land assembly can efficiently deliver larger, regular green cores. The results provide evidence-based guidance for aligning green infrastructure design with diverse governance regimes and advancing context-sensitive sustainability planning. Full article

Against the backdrop of the global sustainable development agenda and deepening reforms of China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the restrictive effect of policy burdens on the long-term development capacity of SOEs has become increasingly prominent. How to break this constraint through policy reforms has become critical. This study takes China’s policy on the transfer of heating, power, water supply, and estate in the residential quarters of SOE employees (HPWET) as a quasi-natural experiment. Employing data from 2012 to 2024 on Chinese A-share SOEs listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, combined with the staggered difference-in-differences method, to explore the impact of removing policy burdens (RPB) on the ESG performance of SOEs and the underlying mechanisms. Results show that RPB significantly improves SOEs’ ESG performance, with an average increase of 14.2% in the ESG performance of SOEs in the treatment group. This effect is more pronounced in large SOEs, those in regions with higher levels of technology marketization, and SOEs in light-pollution industries. Mechanism tests indicate that the improvement of the green innovation level, the reduction in political connections, and the optimization of the corporate governance environment are the core paths of action. This study further broadens the research perspective on SOE policy burdens, enriches the understanding of macro-policy drivers of the ESG performance, and provides new empirical evidence for emerging economies to break through the bottleneck of ESG development in SOEs through institutional reforms. Full article

The digital creative industries have emerged as a critical driver of regional economic transformation, upgrading, and sustainable development. While previous research has primarily focused on creative industry layout and agglomeration in urban areas, with the integration of digital technology and the creative industry, existing research has an insufficient explanation for the digital creative industry. Specifically, few people have studied the spatial distribution and diffusion of digital creative industries in emerging economies from the macro-regional level. To address this gap, this study analyzes the spatial diffusion mode and regional spatial response law of digital creative industries in the Yangtze River Delta during three critical time windows (2016, 2019, and 2022) in the context of national strategy implementation. A range of spatial analysis technologies is utilized to process the full sample of big data from digital creative industries. This study utilizes OLS and a quantile regression model to determine the dominant factors that affect spatial diffusion and response in the digital creative industries. The results demonstrate that, against the backdrop of regional development strategies, digital creative industries exhibit a variety of diffusion modes, including contagious, hierarchical, corridor, and jump diffusion. The response of industries to regional strategies has different rules in terms of regional space, urban development, and sub-industries. Furthermore, the comprehensive influence of institutional environment, urban economy, development and innovation significantly impacts industrial spatial diffusion and regional response. Among them, government investment in science and technology and the number of universities have consistently been important influencing factors, and policy exhibits nonlinear effects and asymmetric characteristics on industry agglomeration and diffusion. This study enhances the understanding of digital creative industry development in the YRD and offers a theoretical basis for optimizing regional industrial spatial structure and promoting the sustainable development of digital industries. Full article

Intercity cooperation networks are critical for addressing regional imbalances and advancing sustainable regional development, yet existing studies typically focus on specific functional domains, rather than the overall intercity cooperation network. To bridge this gap, this study examines the intercity cooperation network in the Pearl River–Xijiang Economic Belt (21 cities, 2014–2023), analyzing its spatio-temporal evolution and influence mechanisms through Social Network Analysis (SNA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal the following: (1) the network has undergone three policy-driven development stages: initial–accelerated–steady; (2) a spatial pattern of “east—dominant, west—weak” has emerged, shaped by the radiating influence of core cities; and (3) institutional proximity and cooperation investment are key drivers of network formation, while geographical and organizational proximity exhibit negative impacts. These findings underscore the need for related regional development strategies to foster a more vital and open cooperation network. Overall, this study deepens the understanding of intercity cooperation by revealing its macro-level patterns and influence mechanisms, and provides practical implications for policymakers committed to promoting sustainable regional development. Full article

Recognizing the factors that influence business formation in developing contexts is critical for promoting economic growth. This study examines the drivers of entrepreneurship among university alumni in Ecuador, addressing gaps in the literature regarding the roles of individual, organizational, and institutional factors in business creation. Drawing on established theories such as the Theory of Planned Behavior and Resource-Based Theory, a multilevel causal model was developed and tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 550 alumni through a structured questionnaire, complemented by semi-structured interviews. The model integrates micro-level (entrepreneurial attitudes and funding experience), meso-level (entrepreneurial knowledge acquired from working experience), and macro-level determinants (opportunity cost). Results indicate that while individual traits play a role, organizational knowledge and institutional context have more pronounced impacts on entrepreneurial actions. In particular, opportunity costs have a negative impact on the business formation process, reflecting the challenges of entrepreneurship in unfavorable environments. The findings highlight the importance of fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems within universities, emphasizing education and support mechanisms tailored to overcoming institutional barriers. This study contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship in Latin America, offering insights for policymakers and academic institutions aiming to enhance entrepreneurial activity and economic development. Full article

This study examines the renewed interest in Industrialised Building (IB) adoption in Australia amid the housing crisis, addressing the gap between potential and implementation. Drawing on a systematic review of 171 peer-reviewed articles (1998–2024), we examine how the interplay between micro-level decision-making, meso-level organisational routines, and macro-level institutional arrangements shapes global IB adoption patterns, with implications for the Australian context where limited research exists. Our analysis highlights that successful IB adoption depends on coordinated alignment across systemic levels, with government policies and sustainability initiatives emerging as key global drivers. However, adoption barriers differ by market maturity; Australia faces unique challenges, such as economic constraints, limited stakeholder collaboration, and misaligned institutional frameworks, despite advancements in technology and innovation. The findings advance construction innovation literature by presenting a theoretically grounded framework to address IB adoption barriers and enablers. In the Australian context, realising IB’s potential requires co-evolution across micro, meso, and macro levels, driven by workforce upskilling, stakeholder collaboration, and adaptive regulations to transform construction practices. Full article

Green innovation provides powerful incentives to achieve sustained social progress. However, the available research examines the financial drivers of green innovation, overlooking the impact of digital government development and the institutional environment. The integration of digital government construction with the institutional environment, and the coupling of the two with green innovation, will paint a picture of the future that promotes sustainable social progress and the modernization of governance. This research utilizes data from 31 provinces in China from 2018 to 2022 to study the impact of digital government construction and the institutional environment on the provincial green innovation efficiency. An empirical analysis is conducted on the basis of analyzing the spatiotemporal evolution and pattern of digital government construction, the institutional environment and the provincial green innovation efficiency. Firstly, digital government construction emphasizes data openness and sharing, and data become a key link between those inside and outside the government. The digital platform becomes an important carrier connecting the government and multiple subjects in collaborative innovation to continuously shape a new digital governance ecology. The netting of digital ecology is conducive to the institutional environment, serving to break the path dependence and create a more open, inclusive and synergistic institutional environment. Based on this, we consider that digital government construction positively affects the institutional environment, and this is verified. Secondly, a good government–market relationship, mature market development, a large market service scale, a complete property rights system and a fair legal system brought about by the improved institutional environment provide macro-external environmental support for enhanced innovation dynamics. Based on this, it is proposed that the institutional environment positively affects the provincial green innovation efficiency. Meanwhile, building on embeddedness theory, the industrial embeddedness of the institutional environment for green innovation highlights the scattered distribution of innovation components. Geographical embeddedness stresses indigenous resource distribution grounded in space vicinity and clustering. The better the institutional environment, the greater the forces of disempowerment at the industrial tier and the easier it is for resources to flow out. This may potentially have a detrimental role in improving the local green innovation efficiency. In view of this, it is proposed that the institutional environment negatively affects the provincial green innovation efficiency, and this is verified. Thirdly, digital government construction, as an important aspect of constructing a digital governance system and implementing the strategy of a strong network state, can effectively release the multiplier effect of digital technology in ecological environment governance and green innovation, continuously enhancing the provincial green innovation efficiency. In view of this, it is proposed that digital government construction positively affects the provincial green innovation efficiency, and this is verified. When the institutional environment is used as a mediating variable, digital government construction will have a certain non-linear impact in terms of provincial green innovation efficiency improvement. Building on the evidence-based analysis results, it is found that the institutional environment plays a competitive mediating role. This study integrates digital government construction, the institutional environment and the provincial green innovation efficiency under a unified analytical structure, offering theoretical inspiration and operational directions to enhance the provincial green innovation efficiency. Full article

In response to the opportunities and challenges posed by rapid technological advancement, digital transformation (DT) has recently emerged as a key concept in higher engineering education. DT involves using digital technologies to transform educational and pedagogical practices to enhance the learning and teaching experiences, prepare students for the needs of industry, and foster innovation. Despite a growing number of small-scale empirical studies concentrating on digitalization at lower single-activity and classroom levels, the practices of traditional education largely remain. There is a need for more systematic and holistic frameworks to facilitate and guide DT in engineering education. This study reviews 13 studies, using a systematic approach to identify and analyze the literature on frameworks for DT of engineering education. Several characteristics are identified, including types of DT frameworks and models; drivers of DT; and digital learning tools and types. In addition, various anticipated outcomes of DT reported in the included studies are described at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Recommendations for future practices for engineering students, educators, and institutions and future research directions for engineering educational researchers are also proposed to support the further development of digital education. Full article

Agro-ecosystem services assessment and mapping are one of the main requirements for implementing the concept of ecosystem services into institutional decision-making within the European Union and worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the most important regional drivers of the natural potential of regulating ecosystem services with agricultural soil in Slovakia, resulting in an original set of macro-scale spatial stratification criteria for agricultural land, and to estimate typical middle values of its potential in newly defined regions. The non-monetary assessment was based on natural environment parameters and land use factors. For the assessment of individual indicators of agro-ecosystem services, we utilized an expert scoring system. We evaluated ecosystem services on the basis of biophysical indicators that determine the corresponding soil functions and are part of the existing databases available in the Slovak Republic. The new methodological combination enabled us to provide unique mapping and assessment of agro-ecosystem services within Slovakia. Regional climate, land cover, and soil slope were identified as key factors impacting agro-ecosystem services potential within the country, which can be used as data stratification levels for further analyses. Linking the value of individual regulating agro-ecosystem services potential with geographical distribution can help to optimize its potential depending on the needs of the inhabitants living in different regions by introducing appropriate measures and can contribute to effective agricultural policymaking. Full article