Navigating digital frontiers: The impact of China's cybersecurity law on corporate digital innovation
Hongze Chen,
Conggang Li,
Jiatao Liu and
Rong Xu
International Review of Financial Analysis, 2025, vol. 103, issue C
Abstract:
In this paper, we find that after the enactment of China's Cybersecurity Law, firms in core digital industries produce more digital innovation than those in industries with lower digital adoption. Leveraging this regulatory shift as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine its impact on corporate digital innovation using a text-based analysis of annual reports. The promotional effect of privacy regulations on digital innovation resembles the Porter hypothesis, which addresses the positive effect of environmental regulations on innovation. Our study delves into the nuanced dynamics, revealing that firms facing high market competition, customer concentration, and fewer financial constraints prioritize digital innovation. This research contributes by highlighting how strengthened data privacy regulation promotes firms' digital innovation, fostering sustained growth and productivity in the digital era.
Keywords: Privacy regulation; Digital privacy; Digital innovation; Cybersecurity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L51 L86 O31 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:finana:v:103:y:2025:i:c:s1057521925002698
DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104182
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