Meng Yuxin, Li Jiayi, Chen Weichen
College of Finance and Taxation, Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics, Urumqi, 830012, China.
School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
J Environ Manage. 2025 Nov;394:127201. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127201. Epub 2025 Sep 16.
Against the backdrop of intensifying institutional pressure for green transformation and the strategic rollout of digital infrastructure, whether green digital policies can effectively incentivize high-polluting firms to engage in green collaborative innovation remains a question requiring micro-level causal identification. This study exploits a quasi-natural experiment based on China's national green data center pilot program and a panel dataset of heavily polluting firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2007 to 2023. The results show that green digital policy significantly enhances green collaborative innovation among high-polluting firms, whereas no comparable effect is observed in non-polluting firms. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy operates through three pathways: strengthening data asset disclosure, promoting integration into global innovation networks, and mitigating risks associated with green innovation failure. Further moderation analysis suggests that both data element utilization and green strategic orientation significantly reinforce the policy effect, while industry-level green competition intensity exerts a dampening influence. Moreover, the policy stimulates both the extensive and intensive margins of green cooperation and exerts significant effects on both green invention and utility model patents. These findings highlight the institutional functions of green digital policy in embedding firm capabilities, alleviating innovation risk, and expanding collaborative boundaries, offering empirical support for evaluating its performance and optimizing green governance strategies for high-pollution firms.
在机构对绿色转型的压力不断加大以及数字基础设施战略推广的背景下，绿色数字政策能否有效激励高污染企业进行绿色协同创新仍是一个需要微观层面因果识别的问题。本研究利用基于中国国家绿色数据中心试点项目的准自然实验以及2007年至2023年在上海和深圳A股市场上市的重污染企业面板数据集。结果表明，绿色数字政策显著增强了高污染企业之间的绿色协同创新，而在无污染企业中未观察到类似效果。机制分析表明，该政策通过三条途径发挥作用：加强数据资产披露、促进融入全球创新网络以及降低与绿色创新失败相关的风险。进一步的调节分析表明，数据要素利用和绿色战略导向均显著增强了政策效果，而行业层面的绿色竞争强度则产生了抑制作用。此外，该政策刺激了绿色合作的广度和深度，对绿色发明和实用新型专利均产生了显著影响。这些发现凸显了绿色数字政策在嵌入企业能力、减轻创新风险和扩大合作边界方面的制度功能，为评估其绩效和优化高污染企业的绿色治理策略提供了实证支持。
