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Do Smart Cities Restrict the Carbon Emission Intensity of Enterprises? Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China

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  • Yituan Liu

    (School of Business Administration, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Qihang Li

    (Longshan Honors School, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China
    School of Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Zheng Zhang

    (School of Management Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

Abstract

The concept of “smart cities” plays a positive role in the overall green and sustainable development of a nation. However, it is still debated whether smart cities can restrain the carbon emission intensity at the micro-level and promote the green transformation of enterprises. To this end, based on China’s smart city policy (SCP) and regional enterprise data from 2008 to 2015, we study the impact of SCP on the carbon emission intensity of local enterprises, using the difference-in-differences method. The results show that SCP significantly reduces the carbon emission intensity of enterprises, and the estimated results remain significant after the propensity score matching. The mechanism analysis finds that digital transformation, innovation by enterprises, and urban green innovation all strengthen the impact of SCP on the carbon emission intensity of enterprises. The conclusions extend the scope of the existing research and provide suggestions for micro-enterprises to take advantage of SCP for better development.

Suggested Citation

  • Yituan Liu & Qihang Li & Zheng Zhang, 2022. "Do Smart Cities Restrict the Carbon Emission Intensity of Enterprises? Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:15:p:5527-:d:875883
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    Cited by:

    1. Jiayuan Zhou & Yunxia Li & Bo Li, 2022. "Restructure or Misallocation? Enterprises’ Carbon Emission Intensity under Market Integration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Benedetto Nastasi & Andrea Mauri, 2022. "Energy Consumption in a Smart City," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-3, October.
    3. Chuanlin Wang & Guowan Yan & Juan Ou, 2023. "Does Digitization Promote Green Innovation? Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-27, February.
    4. Xingwei Li & Yicheng Huang & Xiangxue Li & Xiang Liu, 2023. "Mechanism of smart city policy on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: a perspective of the PESTEL model and the pollution halo hypothesis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. Qian Zhang & Qizhen Wang, 2023. "Digitalization, Electricity Consumption and Carbon Emissions—Evidence from Manufacturing Industries in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-21, February.
    6. Rui Hu & Xinliang Han, 2023. "Toward a “Smart-Green” Future in Cities: System Dynamics Study of Megacities in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-18, September.

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