 Entrepreneurship in the digital eraJun Zhou, Xueyi Zhang, Aslihan Gizem Korkmaz, Youwei Li and Pengpeng Yue Research in International Business and Finance, 2025, vol. 78, issue C Abstract: This study uses panel data from 297 prefecture-level cities from 2010 to 2021 to explore the relationship between digital economy development and urban entrepreneurship. By leveraging the “Broadband China” pilot city policy as a quasi-natural experiment, we investigate how the growth of the digital economy influences entrepreneurship. The results show that digital advancements, indicated by the policy, contribute to increased entrepreneurial activity. This effect is stronger in cities with higher administrative status, better geographical positions, well-developed infrastructure, and greater market opportunities. Further analysis identifies venture capital investment, the business environment, human capital, and innovation as key channels through which the digital economy promotes entrepreneurship. These findings offer insights for understanding how digital development can support urban entrepreneurship and economic growth. Keywords: Digital economy; Entrepreneurship; “Broadband China” pilot city policy (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:78:y:2025:i:c:s0275531925002211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.102965 Access Statistics for this article Research in International Business and Finance is currently edited by T. Lagoarde Segot More articles in Research in International Business and Finance from Elsevier |
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