| Recently,the international energy situation is turbulent,while at the same time,China is also facing uneven energy supply and demand,low energy efficiency,serious environmental pollution and other problems,under the double attack of the complex situation at home and abroad,it is crucial to ensure energy security and improve energy efficiency to achieve highquality economic development and green sustainable development.With the development of digital economy,the application of digital technology in the field of energy will bring new opportunities for improving green total factor energy efficiency(GTFEE).Thus,in the context of the new development pattern,it is essential to study the impact of the level of digital economy on urban GTFEE.In order to investigate the influence mechanism of digital economy on urban GTFEE,the research idea of this paper is as follows:First,based on the panel data of 272 cities from 2011-2019,the entropy value method is applied to measure the level of digital economy(DI).The results show that the mean value of the annual digital economy level in China is 0.122,which is at a low level.In terms of the time dimension,the digital economy level varies greatly among cities in China,showing a trend of linear increase year by year.Cities with high digital economy levels are mainly concentrated in provincial capitals and super first-tier cities,such as Beijing,Shanghai,Shenzhen,Guangzhou,Hangzhou,Xiamen,Nanjing and Wuhan.In terms of spatial distribution,the level of digital economy shows a trend of decreasing from coastal areas to inland.Second,an index system to measure GTFEE is constructed,and a super-efficient SBM model including non-desired outputs is applied to measure GTFEE.The results show that,during the study period,the overall level of GTFEE in China is low,with a mean value of 0.508.In terms of the time dimension,more and more cities reach the energy efficient state.In terms of spatial distribution,the cities with high GTFEE are mainly located in the eastern and middle regions.Finally,a two-way fixed effects model is applied to investigate the direct and indirect effects of digital economy level on GTFEE.The results show that(1)the core explanatory variable DI contributes to GTFEE positively,the control variables financial development level,economic development level and infrastructure level have positive effects on GTFEE,and government intervention and population density show negative effects on GTFEE.(2)There is heterogeneity in the effects of DI on GTFEE from the perspective of city class,urban resource endowment and city size.(3)The mediating variables technological innovation,advanced industrial structure and rationalization of industrial structure can significantly improve GTFEE.Based on the above empirical analysis,the conclusions are as follows: First,the level of digital economy(DI)can significantly improve GTFEE.Second,there is heterogeneity in the impact of DI on GTFEE due to the differences in city level,city resource endowment and city scale.Third,technological innovation,advanced industrial structure and rationalization of industrial structure are important ways for DI to influence GTFEE.Based on the above findings,the policy insights are as follows: First,accelerate the development of DI to improve GTFEE.Second,integrate regional advantageous resources to help resource-based cities’ digital transformation.Third,insist on multiple initiatives to promote green and sustainable urban development. |
