Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.

The impact of the digital economy (DE) on urban environmental quality (EQ) is a critical aspect of China's economic development. This study investigates the impact of DI on urban EQ using the data from prefecture-level cities spanning the period from 2011 to 2021 and updates some disparate conc...

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Main Authors: Hao Li, Zihan Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297503&type=printable
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author Hao Li
Zihan Yang
author_facet Hao Li
Zihan Yang
author_sort Hao Li
collection DOAJ
description The impact of the digital economy (DE) on urban environmental quality (EQ) is a critical aspect of China's economic development. This study investigates the impact of DI on urban EQ using the data from prefecture-level cities spanning the period from 2011 to 2021 and updates some disparate conclusions of related studies. It is discovered that a non-linear correlation exists between DE and urban EQ. Currently, DE can effectively improve local city EQ. This conclusion remains valid even after robustness tests and endogeneity treatment. The impact of DE on improving EQ can be classified as the impact of technological innovation, industrial upgrading, resource allocation, infrastructure construction, environmental governance, and changes in public lifestyle. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the influence of DE is particularly pronounced in cities located in central and eastern regions of China, those with higher levels of administrative management, resource-based urban areas, and those with more stringent environmental regulations.
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spelling doaj.art-41e8cbd8d8d1436cbd1347e6693c2eed2024-02-28T05:31:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01192e029750310.1371/journal.pone.0297503Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.Hao LiZihan YangThe impact of the digital economy (DE) on urban environmental quality (EQ) is a critical aspect of China's economic development. This study investigates the impact of DI on urban EQ using the data from prefecture-level cities spanning the period from 2011 to 2021 and updates some disparate conclusions of related studies. It is discovered that a non-linear correlation exists between DE and urban EQ. Currently, DE can effectively improve local city EQ. This conclusion remains valid even after robustness tests and endogeneity treatment. The impact of DE on improving EQ can be classified as the impact of technological innovation, industrial upgrading, resource allocation, infrastructure construction, environmental governance, and changes in public lifestyle. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the influence of DE is particularly pronounced in cities located in central and eastern regions of China, those with higher levels of administrative management, resource-based urban areas, and those with more stringent environmental regulations.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297503&type=printable
spellingShingle Hao Li
Zihan Yang
Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
PLoS ONE
title Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
title_full Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
title_fullStr Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
title_full_unstemmed Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
title_short Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China.
title_sort does digital economy development affect urban environment quality evidence from 285 cities in china
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0297503&type=printable
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AT zihanyang doesdigitaleconomydevelopmentaffecturbanenvironmentqualityevidencefrom285citiesinchina