IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i8p6674-d1123824.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can Digital Services Trade Liberalization Improve the Quality of Green Innovation of Enterprises? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Hui Fang

    (School of International Trade and Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Qixin Huo

    (School of International Trade and Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

  • Kaouakib Hatim

    (School of International Trade and Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, China)

Abstract

Green innovation is a critical driver in achieving the goals of “carbon peaking” and “carbon neutrality”, as well as an important aid in accelerating green transformation. Does the opening-up of digital services trade, as a major component of the high-level opening-up strategy, serve to improve the quality of green innovation of Chinese enterprises at this critical juncture in China’s promotion of ecological civilization? To answer this question, this paper measures the degree of openness of digital services trade in each industry in China, and it empirically examines the impact of digital services trade liberalization on enterprises’ green innovation quality using data from A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2021. This research finds that, first, digital services trade liberalization can significantly improve the quality of green innovation of Chinese enterprises, which still holds after a series of robustness tests. Second, mechanism analysis indicates that digital services trade liberalization promotes enterprises’ green innovation quality by improving human capital level, increasing green R&D expenditure, and strengthening information resource sharing. Third, a heterogeneity test shows that the effect of digital services trade liberalization on the quality of green innovation is more prominent for state-owned enterprises, enterprises with stronger technology absorption capacity, highly competitive industries, and regions with a high intensity of environmental regulations. The study’s findings not only provide new perspectives and ideas for enterprises’ green innovation practices in the midst of the digital services trade wave but also theoretical and empirical support for the inherent self-consistency between high-level opening-up and green development.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Fang & Qixin Huo & Kaouakib Hatim, 2023. "Can Digital Services Trade Liberalization Improve the Quality of Green Innovation of Enterprises? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-22, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6674-:d:1123824
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6674/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/8/6674/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arnold, Jens M. & Javorcik, Beata S. & Mattoo, Aaditya, 2011. "Does services liberalization benefit manufacturing firms?: Evidence from the Czech Republic," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(1), pages 136-146, September.
    2. Beverelli, Cosimo & Fiorini, Matteo & Hoekman, Bernard, 2017. "Services trade policy and manufacturing productivity: The role of institutions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 166-182.
    3. Claessens, Stijn & Yurtoglu, B. Burcin, 2013. "Corporate governance in emerging markets: A survey," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 1-33.
    4. Marius Ley, Tobias Stucki, and Martin Woerter, 2016. "The Impact of Energy Prices on Green Innovation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    5. Bernard Hoekman & Ben Shepherd, 2017. "Services Productivity, Trade Policy and Manufacturing Exports," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 499-516, March.
    6. Rongwu Zhang & Wenqiang Fu & Yingxu Kuang, 2022. "Can Digital Economy Promote Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in Heavily Polluting Enterprises? Empirical Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-21, August.
    7. Raphael Calel & Antoine Dechezleprêtre, 2016. "Environmental Policy and Directed Technological Change: Evidence from the European Carbon Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(1), pages 173-191, March.
    8. Shuang Meng & Huan Yan & Jiajie Yu, 2022. "Global Value Chain Participation and Green Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-17, July.
    9. Dukangqi Li & Weitao Shen, 2021. "Can Corporate Digitalization Promote Green Innovation? The Moderating Roles of Internal Control and Institutional Ownership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Giovanna Bimonte & Maria Grazia Romano & Maria Russolillo, 2021. "Green Innovation and Competition: R&D Incentives in a Circular Economy," Games, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, September.
    11. Pizer, William A. & Popp, David, 2008. "Endogenizing technological change: Matching empirical evidence to modeling needs," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 2754-2770, November.
    12. Amore, Mario Daniele & Bennedsen, Morten, 2016. "Corporate governance and green innovation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 54-72.
    13. Michelle Frempomaa Frempong & Yinping Mu & Stephen Sarfo Adu-Yeboah & Md Altab Hossin & Mavis Adu-Gyamfi, 2021. "Corporate Sustainability and Firm Performance: The Role of Green Innovation Capabilities and Sustainability-Oriented Supplier–Buyer Relationship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-20, September.
    14. Fang, Zhenming & Kong, Xiaoran & Sensoy, Ahmet & Cui, Xin & Cheng, Feiyang, 2021. "Government’s awareness of Environmental protection and corporate green innovation: A natural experiment from the new environmental protection law in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 294-312.
    15. Liang Li & Hajar Msaad & Huaping Sun & Mei Xuen Tan & Yeqing Lu & Antonio K.W. Lau, 2020. "Green Innovation and Business Sustainability: New Evidence from Energy Intensive Industry in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-18, October.
    16. El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser & Singh, Sanjay Kumar, 2019. "Green innovation and organizational performance: The influence of big data and the moderating role of management commitment and HR practices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 483-498.
    17. Chen, Zhiyuan & Zhang, Jie & Zheng, Wenping, 2017. "Import and innovation: Evidence from Chinese firms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 205-220.
    18. Naveedullah Mulaessa & Lefen Lin, 2021. "How Do Proactive Environmental Strategies Affect Green Innovation? The Moderating Role of Environmental Regulations and Firm Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-19, August.
    19. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    20. William J. Baumol, 2002. "Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Growth: The David-Goliath Symbiosis," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 7(2), pages 1-10, Summer.
    21. Javier López González & Marie-Agnes Jouanjean, 2017. "Digital Trade: Developing a Framework for Analysis," OECD Trade Policy Papers 205, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chaoqun Fan & Ahmed Usman, 2024. "How Does Renewable Energy Respond to Financial Globalization and Information and Communications Technology Trade?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Xiaole Deng & Fang Zhang & Shuyi Lin & Wei Qiu, 2024. "Research on the Structural Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Digital Service Trade Networks in RCEP Member States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Hongfeng Zhang & Xiangjiang Ding & Yue Liu, 2023. "The Impact of Low-Carbon Pilot Cities on the Development of Digital Economy: Empirical Evidence from 284 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-21, June.
    4. Ziyao Huang & Fang Yang, 2024. "Macroeconomic Impacts of College Expansion on Structural Transformation and Energy Economy in China: A Heterogeneous Agent General Equilibrium Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-31, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Beverelli, Cosimo & Fiorini, Matteo & Hoekman, Bernard, 2017. "Services trade policy and manufacturing productivity: The role of institutions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 166-182.
    2. Cui, Xin & Wang, Chunfeng & Sensoy, Ahmet & Liao, Jing & Xie, Xiaochen, 2023. "Economic policy uncertainty and green innovation: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    3. Qi, Xiulin & Wu, Zhifang & Xu, Jinqing & Shan, Biaoan, 2023. "Environmental justice and green innovation: A quasi-natural experiment based on the establishment of environmental courts in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    4. Matteo Fiorini & Bernard Hoekman & Dennis Quinn, 2023. "Services trade policy and industry performance in African economies," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 382-395, February.
    5. Yu, Zhen & Shen, Yiran & Jiang, Shengjun, 2022. "The effects of corporate governance uncertainty on state-owned enterprises' green innovation in China: Perspective from the participation of non-state-owned shareholders," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    6. Han Long & Gen-Fu Feng & Chun-Ping Chang, 2023. "How does ESG performance promote corporate green innovation?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 2889-2913, August.
    7. Song, Shuxin & Wen, Jun & Li, Yan & Li, Lingxiao, 2024. "How does digital economy affect green technological innovation in China? New evidence from the “Broadband China” policy," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1093-1112.
    8. Bai, Zhuoran & Meng, Shuang & Miao, Zhuang & Zhang, Yan, 2019. "Services Liberalization and Export Diversity: Theory and Evidence from Chinese Firms," MPRA Paper 95862, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Hoekman, Bernard & Shepherd, Ben, 2021. "Services Trade Policies and Economic Integration: New Evidence for Developing Countries," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 115-134, February.
    10. Dazhong Cheng & Zhiguo Xiao, 2021. "Producer Services and Productivity: A Global Value Chain Perspective," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(2), pages 418-444, June.
    11. Fiorini, Matteo & Hoekman, Bernard, 2018. "Services trade policy and sustainable development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1-12.
    12. Wenxi Lu, 2018. "Services Liberalisation, Export Similarity and Trade in Services," School of Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 2018-04, University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy.
    13. Matteo Fiorini & Bernard Hoekman & Clément Malgouyres, 2018. "Services policy reform and manufacturing employment: Evidence from transition economies," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(9), pages 2320-2348, September.
    14. Roy, Martin, 2019. "Elevating services: Services trade policy, WTO commitments, and their role in economic development and trade integration," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2019-01, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    15. Huang, Xiaoqi & Liu, Wei & Zhang, Zhan & Zou, Xinyu & Li, Pujuan, 2023. "Quantity or quality: Environmental legislation and corporate green innovations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PB).
    16. Da Gao & Xinlin Mo & Kun Duan & Yi Li, 2022. "Can Green Credit Policy Promote Firms’ Green Innovation? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, March.
    17. Lingduo Jiang & Shuangshuang Liu & Guofeng Zhang, 2022. "Digital trade barriers and export performance: Evidence from China," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(4), pages 1401-1430, April.
    18. Chen Feng & Beibei Shi & Rong Kang, 2017. "Does Environmental Policy Reduce Enterprise Innovation?—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-24, May.
    19. Li, Kai & Yan, Yaxue & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2021. "Carbon-abatement policies, investment preferences, and directed technological change: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    20. Zhuoran Bai & Shuang Meng & Zhuang Miao & Yan Zhang, 2023. "Liberalization for services foreign direct investment and product mix adjustment: Evidence from Chinese exporting firms," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 363-388, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:8:p:6674-:d:1123824. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.