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The impact of digital government on energy sustainability: Empirical evidence from prefecture-level cities in China

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  • Jiang, Zeru
  • Yuan, Chunlai
  • Xu, Jingru

Abstract

Sustainable energy development is an important approach for ensuring energy security and improving energy resilience. Using data from 258 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2009 to 2019, this study applies the entropy method to measure energy sustainability. Further, using the difference-in-differences method, this study investigates the effect of digital government on energy sustainability. The results indicate that establishing digital government significantly enhances energy sustainability. This positive effect is heterogeneous across cities with different geographical locations and resource types. Moreover, mechanism analysis demonstrates that digital government improves energy sustainability by promoting energy efficiency, stimulating innovation, and enhancing regional digital development. Overall, the findings confirm the contribution of establishing digital government to sustainable energy development and provide empirical references for the transformation of governance models.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiang, Zeru & Yuan, Chunlai & Xu, Jingru, 2024. "The impact of digital government on energy sustainability: Empirical evidence from prefecture-level cities in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:209:y:2024:i:c:s0040162524005742
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123776
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