Open Access Journal Article

Assessing the impact of digitalization on environmental efficiency: Do population factors and institutional factors Matter?

by Xiaoli Hao a, c ,  Yuhong Li b ,  Shufang Wen a, c  and  Lulu Zhang d,*
a
Center for Innovation Management Research, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, China
b
School of Economics and Finance, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
c
School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, China
d
College of Sciences, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
JIE  2024, 25; 2(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.58567/jie02010004
Received: 20 February 2024 / Accepted: 3 April 2024 / Published Online: 7 May 2024
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Abstract

The digital transformation provides an opportunity for the development of a green and low-carbon economy. This study used panel data collected from 30 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2018, and assessed the impact of digitization (Dig) on environmental efficiency (EE). Quantile regression is employed to scrutinize the evolution of the marginal effect. From the perspectives of population and institutional factors, this study empirically investigates nonlinear relationships and potential mechanisms using Hansen threshold and mediation models. The findings reveal several key insights. Overall, levels of digitization and environmental efficiency (EE) are increasing with regional dispersion expansion, indicating a “polarization” characteristic. The impact of digitization on EE exhibits noticeable stage and regional heterogeneity. Analysis of population factors reveals that population structure, population size, and human capital trigger a sharp “marginal increase” of positive effects with single thresholds of 0.8155, 7.2284, and 11.0497, respectively. Analysis of institutional factors highlights the significance of fiscal policy quality (tax proportion), education expenditure, and tax system structure as important intermediaries. Finally, this paper presents corresponding policy implications.

Keywords: Digitalization; environmental efficiency; population factor; institutional factor;
Copyright: © 2024 by Hao, Li, Wen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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ACS Style
Hao, X.; Li, Y.; Wen, S.; Zhang, L. Assessing the impact of digitalization on environmental efficiency: Do population factors and institutional factors Matter?. Journal of Information Economics, 2024, 2, 25. https://doi.org/10.58567/jie02010004
AMA Style
Hao X, Li Y, Wen S, Zhang L. Assessing the impact of digitalization on environmental efficiency: Do population factors and institutional factors Matter?. Journal of Information Economics; 2024, 2(1):25. https://doi.org/10.58567/jie02010004
Chicago/Turabian Style
Hao, Xiaoli; Li, Yuhong; Wen, Shufang; Zhang, Lulu 2024. "Assessing the impact of digitalization on environmental efficiency: Do population factors and institutional factors Matter?" Journal of Information Economics 2, no.1:25. https://doi.org/10.58567/jie02010004
APA style
Hao, X., Li, Y., Wen, S., & Zhang, L. (2024). Assessing the impact of digitalization on environmental efficiency: Do population factors and institutional factors Matter?. Journal of Information Economics, 2(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.58567/jie02010004

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