School of Public Administration, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, 116000, Liaoning, China.
Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 5;13(1):254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-27442-5.
As the main means to dovetail the domestic system with international rules, institutional openness is the key to deepening participation in the global economic governance system, breaking through energy and carbon emission constraints, and achieving green and sustainable economic development. Taking 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019 as the research sample, this paper uses the establishment of Pilot Free Trade Zones as a quasi-natural experiment to systematically identify and test the actual impact of institutional openness on urban carbon emissions in China through the asymptotic difference in difference method, instrumental variables method, spatial econometric model, and mediating effects model. Meanwhile, technological progress is used as the entry point to analyze the intrinsic mechanism of action by adopting digital transformation oriented to efficiency improvement and green innovation capability oriented to R&D innovation as the differentiated perspective. It is found that institutional openness significantly suppresses urban CO emissions, and there is a certain heterogeneity and spatial spillover effect of this effect. Further study finds that institutional openness achieves carbon emission reduction through technological progress. The study aims to find new institutional innovation and development paths for low carbon development.
作为国内制度与国际规则接轨的主要手段，制度开放是深化参与全球经济治理体系、突破能源和碳排放约束、实现绿色可持续经济发展的关键。本文以 2006-2019 年中国 284 个地级及以上城市为研究样本，利用设立自由贸易试验区这一准自然实验，通过渐进双重差分法、工具变量法、空间计量模型和中介效应模型，系统识别和检验了制度开放对中国城市碳排放的实际影响。同时，以技术进步为切入点，采用效率提升导向的数字化转型和研发创新导向的绿色创新能力作为差异化视角，分析了作用的内在机制。研究发现，制度开放显著抑制了城市 CO 排放，并且这种效应存在一定的异质性和空间溢出效应。进一步的研究发现，制度开放通过技术进步实现了碳排放的减少。本研究旨在为低碳发展寻找新的制度创新和发展路径。
