Search Results (3)

Green technology innovation (GTI) is critical for economic development and environmental protection. This paper investigates the influence of the National E-commerce Demonstration Cities (NEDC) policy on GTI using a multi-period Difference-in-Difference (DID) model and data from prefecture-level Chinese cities. The findings indicate that the NEDC policy considerably facilitates GTI in China. The conclusion withstands a comprehensive set of robustness tests and remains valid even after considering potential endogeneity issues. A dynamic analysis reveals an increasing influence of the NEDC policy on GTI over time. The paper identifies producer services agglomeration, internet development, and financial support as channels through which the NEDC policy affects GTI. A heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the NEDC policy’s influence on GTI is more pronounced in larger cities with a higher degree of marketization and increased levels of human capital. Moreover, the NEDC policy exhibits spatial spillover effects, supporting GTI advancement in both local cities and neighboring regions. This study provides insights into how emerging market economies can leverage e-commerce for green development. Full article

This study provides a viable path to save energy by means of e-commerce development. Taking the national e-commerce demonstration cities (NEDC) pilots policy implemented in China as a quasi-natural experiment, based on the city panel data from 2006 to 2019, this study applies the multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) method to evaluate the effect of NEDC on energy saving in pilot cities. The empirical results suggest that the NEDC policy obviously contributes to energy conservation. The treated cities reduced energy consumption by 14.2% as a result of the implementation of NEDC, relative to the untreated cities. The conclusions remain valid after conducting robustness tests such as placebo test, instrumental variables regression, propensity score matching-difference-in-difference (PSM-DID), and synthetic difference-in-difference (SDID). The NEDC achieves energy-saving effects through technological innovation, industrial restructuring, and economic agglomeration. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis indicates that, in cities with high levels of human capital, well-developed information infrastructure, non-resource-based cities, and favorable business environments, the impact of NEDC on energy saving is more significant. Analysis of spatial effects shows that the implementation of NEDC has negative externalities, increasing energy consumption in the surrounding area. In the context of the digital economy, this paper presents new insights on the relationship between e-commerce and energy consumption and provides policy direction for countries looking for energy-saving solutions. Full article

To accelerate global green and low-carbon development, China has proposed a “double carbon” target. It is particularly important to explore the carbon reduction effects of e-commerce transformation in cities to achieve sustainable development. Based on the quasi-natural experiment of the National E-Commerce Demonstration City (NEDC) pilot, 263 cities from 2008 to 2017 were selected as samples, and the propensity score matching difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) method was used to investigate the influence of NEDCs on urban carbon emissions in China and its underlying mechanism. The results show that NEDCs can significantly reduce urban carbon emissions; the carbon emission level of pilot cities was reduced by 9.45%. After passing a series of robustness tests, this conclusion remains valid. The policy effects of NEDCs on carbon emissions are heterogeneous across different regions and types of cities, with the policy effect being more significant in central and western cities and in resource-based cities. Further mechanism analysis shows that the NEDC policy reduces urban carbon emissions mainly through two channels, namely, green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading. This study provides important policy implications for the implementation of e-commerce demonstration city construction according to local conditions and the realization of urban sustainable development under the double carbon goal. Full article