Do Smart Cities Restrict the Carbon Emission Intensity of Enterprises? Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China

Yituan Liu, Qihang Li and Zheng Zhang
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Yituan Liu: School of Business Administration, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China
Qihang Li: Longshan Honors School, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China
Zheng Zhang: School of Management Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: The concept of “smart cities” plays a positive role in the overall green and sustainable development of a nation. However, it is still debated whether smart cities can restrain the carbon emission intensity at the micro-level and promote the green transformation of enterprises. To this end, based on China’s smart city policy (SCP) and regional enterprise data from 2008 to 2015, we study the impact of SCP on the carbon emission intensity of local enterprises, using the difference-in-differences method. The results show that SCP significantly reduces the carbon emission intensity of enterprises, and the estimated results remain significant after the propensity score matching. The mechanism analysis finds that digital transformation, innovation by enterprises, and urban green innovation all strengthen the impact of SCP on the carbon emission intensity of enterprises. The conclusions extend the scope of the existing research and provide suggestions for micro-enterprises to take advantage of SCP for better development.

Keywords: smart city policy; carbon emission intensity; digital transformation; green innovation; difference-in-differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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