Green technological innovation is essential for promoting high-quality regional economic growth. The digital economy, characterized by penetration, integration, and sustainability, significantly enhances the efficiency of green innovation. However, existing research has largely focused on singular aspects of green development, overlooking comprehensive configurational analyses and the varied development pathways of cities. This gap hinders the identification of optimal and suboptimal strategies. To examine the configurational effects and driving mechanisms of urban digital economy development within the context of green technological innovation, 25 cities in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region were selected as the research sample. Four key dimensions were analyzed: digital infrastructure, digital information development, digital innovation, and digital inclusive finance. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was employed, and multiple high-efficiency configurational pathways among these cities were identified. Significant variation in the core and auxiliary conditions of these pathways was observed, underscoring the importance of multidimensional synergies in the digital economy as a driving force for enhancing the efficiency of green technological innovation. It was found that the relationship between digital economy development and green technological innovation is complex, with no single factor driving the prosperity of green innovation. Two high-efficiency pathways for green technological innovation were identified: the “information infrastructure-financial inclusion” pathway and the multi-factor integrated driving models of “information-innovation-inclusion”. Constructive recommendations were provided for cities with high-efficiency and low-efficiency pathways to enhance green innovation outcomes.
References
[1]
Cui, B., Liu, Y., & Wu, J. (2023). Digital Economy, Green Technology Innovation and Carbon Reduction Effect. In Proceedings of the 2023 2nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Internet and Digital Economy (ICAID 2023) (pp. 215-224). Atlantis Press International BV. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-222-4_21
[2]
Ding, C., Liu, C., Zheng, C., & Li, F. (2021). Digital Economy, Technological Innovation and High-Quality Economic Development: Based on Spatial Effect and Mediation Effect. Sustainability, 14, Article 216. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010216
[3]
Faisal, F. F., Muhammad, K., & Ghani, E. K. (2022). The Effect of Innovation in Business Model, Services and Technology on Firm Sustainability: An Examination Using Triple Bottom Line Theory. The Economics and Finance Letters, 9, 170-179. https://doi.org/10.18488/29.v9i2.3095
[4]
Fan, D., & Li, M. (2024). Digital Economy Development and Green Innovation Efficiency from a Two-Stage Innovation Value Chain Perspective. Sustainability, 16, Article 4421. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114421
[5]
Fu, Y. (2024). Digital Economy and Urban Green Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Prefecture-Level Cities. Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, 34, 108-121. https://doi.org/10.54097/dfhpnv13
[6]
Peng, G., Meng, F., Ahmed, Z., Oláh, J., & Harsányi, E. (2022). A Path Towards Green Revolution: How Do Environmental Technologies, Political Risk, and Environmental Taxes Influence Green Energy Consumption?.Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10, Article 927333. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.927333
[7]
Gao, Y., & Liu, H. (2022). How to Enhance Psychological Security of Enterprise Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Based on MRA and FSQCA. Current Psychology, 43, 14802-14817. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03775-8
[8]
Guo, Y., Xia, X., Zhang, S., & Zhang, D. (2018). Environmental Regulation, Government R&D Funding and Green Technology Innovation: Evidence from China Provincial Data. Sustainability, 10, Article 940. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10040940
[9]
Haller, A., Ștefănică, M., Butnaru, G. I., & Butnaru, R. C. (2023). Climate Neutrality through Economic Growth, Digitalisation, Eco-Innovation and Renewable Energy in European Countries. Kybernetes, 53, 1250-1280. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-09-2022-1254
[10]
Hao, X., Wen, S., Li, Y., Xu, Y., & Xue, Y. (2022). Can the Digital Economy Development Curb Carbon Emissions? Evidence from China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 938918. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.938918
[11]
Kılıç, M., & Kuzey, C. (2019). The Effect of Corporate Governance on Carbon Emission Disclosures. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 11, 35-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijccsm-07-2017-0144
[12]
Li, J., Chen, L., Chen, Y., & He, J. (2022). Digital Economy, Technological Innovation, and Green Economic Efficiency—Empirical Evidence from 277 Cities in China. Managerial and Decision Economics, 43, 616-629. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.3406
[13]
Li, Y. (2021). The Influence of the Development of Digital Economy on the Upgrading of China’s Industrial Structure. E3S Web of Conferences, 235, Article ID: 03062. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202123503062
[14]
Liu, L., & Yang, L. (2023). The Influence of Coupling Degree of Technological Innovation and Industrial Structure Upgrading on the Green Economic Efficiency. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 32, 1721-1733. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/157218
[15]
Pang, G., Ding, Z., & Shen, X. (2023). Spillover Effect of Energy Intensity Reduction Targets on Carbon Emissions in China. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, Article 1054272. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1054272
[16]
Pang, Y., Fan, Y., & Huang, X. (2021). Innovation Investment and Sustainable Development. E3S Web of Conferences, 236, Article ID: 03010. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202123603010
[17]
Urbaniec, M., Tomala, J., & Martinez, S. (2021). Measurements and Trends in Technological Eco-Innovation: Evidence from Environment-Related Patents. Resources, 10, Article 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10070068
[18]
Vargas-Hernandez, J. G., Vargas-González, O. C., & Rodríguez-Maillard, C. (2023). Organizational Environmental Sustainability Business Model in Green Technology Innovation. Journal of Business Ecosystems, 4, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.4018/jbe.320483
[19]
Wang, M., & Liu, Z. (2022). How Do Green Innovation Strategies Contribute to Firm Performance under Supply Chain Risk? Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 894766. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.894766
[20]
Wang, M., Li, Y., & Wang, Z. (2023). A Nonlinear Relationship between Corporate Environmental Performance and Economic Performance of Green Technology Innovation: Moderating Effect of Government Market‐based Regulations. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32, 3119-3138. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3290
[21]
Wong, S. K. S. (2012). Environmental Requirements, Knowledge Sharing and Green Innovation: Empirical Evidence from the Electronics Industry in China. Business Strategy and the Environment, 22, 321-338. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1746
[22]
Yi, M., Liu, Y., Sheng, M. S., & Wen, L. (2022). Effects of Digital Economy on Carbon Emission Reduction: New Evidence from China. Energy Policy, 171, Article ID: 113271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113271
[23]
Yuan, Q., Zhang, G., Wang, R., Ma, X., & Niu, J. (2024). Does Technological Innovation in National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zones Promote Green Development?—The Case from Chengde City, China. PLOS ONE, 19, e0300315. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300315
[24]
Zeng, Y., Xu, X., Zhao, Y., & Li, B. (2023). Impact of Digital Economy on the Upgrading of Energy Consumption Structure: Evidence from Mainland China. Sustainability, 15, Article 5968. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075968
[25]
Zhao, S., Peng, D., Wen, H., & Song, H. (2022). Does the Digital Economy Promote Upgrading the Industrial Structure of Chinese Cities? Sustainability, 14, Article 10235. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610235
