The Impact Analysis of the Digital Economy on Green Total Factor Productivity in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration

The deep integration of digitalization and greening is a driving force for promoting high-quality economic development. The rapid development of the digital economy empowers green innovation, and the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, as the most developed region in China's economy, carries an important mission for the future economic and social development of China. Clarifying the differences and influencing factors of digital economy and green total factor productivity (GTFP) among different cities within the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration is of great significance for formulating regional and national green development policies, achieving regional coordinated development, and environmental sustainability. This paper takes the impact of digital economy development on changes in GTFP as the starting point. Through the analysis of innovation efficiency, a theoretical model is established to reveal the internal mechanism by which digital economy development promotes GTFP. The research results show that digital economy development significantly promotes the improvement of GTFP, with greater impacts on large and medium-sized cities, regions with higher productivity levels, and regions with a more advanced industrial structure. Additionally, the internal mechanism test results indicate that digital economy development enhances GTFP by improving regional innovation efficiency and resource allocation efficiency.