Study on the Spatial Association Network Structure of Urban Digital Economy and Its Driving Factors in Chinese Cities

The digital economy has become an important engine for global economic development by promoting optimal resource allocation and advancing industrial restructuring. Based on the panel data from 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2012 to 2021, this paper constructs the spatial association networks of urban digital economy using a modified gravity model and analyzes the complex network characteristics and driving factors of urban digital economy growth by the social network analysis methods and the Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP). This study finds that (1) the level of urban digital economy in China shows a rising trend year by year and displays an uneven spatial distribution. (2) Spatial association networks of urban digital economy are relatively well-connected, with increasing density and stability of spatial associations, yet some hierarchical structure remains, and overall connectivity still needs to be improved. (3) Most cities in the east region occupy the core positions within the complex network, significantly influencing the overall complex network through a “siphon effect”, while cities in the central region play more of a “bridge” role in the spatial association network. In contrast, cities in the northwest, northeast, and southwest regions are situated on the periphery of this spatial association network. (4) The economic development level, informatization level, technological innovation, urbanization level, industrial structure, and human capital contribute to the formation of the spatial association network of the digital economy. Based on these conclusions, specific policy implications for the future development of the spatial association network of the urban digital economy are proposed.