Digitalization and Dependence: Evaluating the Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 9 and Shaping Digital Autonomy

Haisheng Hu ()
Additional contact information
Haisheng Hu: Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Postal: University of Ljubljana, Kongresni trg 12, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Journal of Economic Integration, 2024, vol. 39, issue 4, 991-1017

Abstract: This study explores the impact of China's "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) on the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 9 in participating developing countries, with a particular focus on the moderating role of digitalization and its long-term effect on the reliance of these countries on Chinese digitalization. Rigorous statistical methods, including parallel trend tests, regression analysis, propensity score matching (PSM), and placebo tests, ensure the reliability of the results. The findings indicate that after implementation, the BRI significantly advanced sustainable development goals in participating countries. Countries with higher levels of digitalization utilized the BRI more effectively to promote sustainable development. Further research suggests that while the initiative may increase digital dependence, higher levels of digitalization can mitigate this reliance. This study highlights the positive impact of the BRI on sustainable development, especially in digitally advanced developing countries, and offers a new perspective on reducing dependence on China.

Keywords: One Belt One Road Initiative; Sustainable Development Goals; Digital Dependence; Digitalization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F60 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.e-jei.org Full text (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:integr:0931

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Economic Integration is currently edited by Seongeun Kim

More articles in Journal of Economic Integration from Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Yunhoe Kim ().