Industrial Intellectual Property Reform Strategy, Manufacturing Craftsmanship Spirit, and Regional Energy Intensity

To systematically reveal the influence mechanisms and spatial effects of industrial intellectual property (IP) reform strategies and manufacturing craftsmanship spirit on regional energy intensity, this study aims to provide theoretical support and practical pathways for emerging market economies pursuing dual goals of energy efficiency governance and manufacturing transformation. Based on a “technology–culture synergistic innovation ecology” theoretical framework, the study deepens the understanding of energy intensity governance and introduces two spatial weight matrices—the economic distance matrix and the nested economic–geographic matrix—to uncover the spatial heterogeneity of policy and cultural effects. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2010 to 2022 (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan), we construct an index of manufacturing craftsmanship spirit (CSM) and its four dimensions—excellence in detail, persistent dedication, breakthrough orientation, and innovation inheritance—via the entropy method. Empirical analysis is conducted through Spatial Difference-in-Differences (SDID) and Double Machine Learning (DML) models. The results show that: (1) Industrial IP reform strategies significantly reduce local energy intensity through improved property rights definition and technology transaction mechanisms, but may increase energy intensity in economically proximate regions due to intensified technological competition. (2) All four dimensions of craftsmanship spirit indirectly mitigate regional energy intensity via distinct pathways, with particularly strong mediating effects from persistent dedication and innovation inheritance. In contrast, breakthrough orientation shows no significant impact, possibly due to limitations from the current stage of the technology lifecycle. (3) Spatial spillover effects are heterogeneous: under the nested economic–geographic matrix, IP reform strategies reduce neighboring regions’ energy intensity through synergistic effects, while under the economic distance matrix, competitive spillovers lead to an increase in adjacent energy intensity. Based on these findings, we propose the following: deepening IP reform strategies to build a technology–culture synergistic ecosystem; enhancing regional policy coordination to avoid technology lock-in; systematically cultivating the core of craftsmanship spirit; and establishing a dynamic incentive mechanism for breakthrough orientation. These measures can jointly drive systemic improvements in regional energy efficiency.