The impact of digital economy on the resilience of blue growth in Chinese coastal cities

The digital economy (DigE), as an emerging economic model, is crucial for enhancing the resilience of blue growth (ResBG) in coastal regions, which are highly vulnerable to various risks due to global changes. This paper aims to explore the impact mechanism of DigE on the ResBG and its potential mediating effects. By taking 53 Chinese coastal cities as an example, the multi-indicator systems are established for measuring the DigE and ResBG by using entropy value method. Subsequently, the panel regression model and mediation effect model are applied to exam the impact of DigE on ResBG. The results reveal that there is a strong correlation between DigE and ResBG (r = 0.814). The DigE has significantly promoted the level of ResBG with or without the inclusion of control variables. The DigE enhances ResBG through the mediating variables of technological innovation and industrial upgrading, which account for 11.48% and 29.18% of the total effect. In the future, we should promote the high quality development of the DigE through scientific planning, and accelerate the digital technological advancement and industrial transformation.