Digital Economy and Green Development: Mechanisms of Action, Spillover Effects and Transmission Mechanisms

The digital economy plays an important role in promoting green economic growth. This study evaluates the degree of green economic development generated by green innovation and green sharing based on data from 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2022. An empirical analysis of the digital economy's influence on the growth of the green economy and its transmission mechanisms is performed. The analysis results demonstrate that the digital economy can significantly promote green economic development, encompassing improvements in both green innovation and green sharing, and exhibits a nonlinear "increasing marginal effect". The analysis of transmission channels reveals that, on one hand, the digital economy can promote green economic development by optimizing the allocation of data elements, while on the other, its impact is also influenced by the intensity of environmental regulations, exhibiting a threshold effect. Further heterogeneity analysis suggests that the promotional effect of the digital economy on green economic development is more pronounced in regions with high levels of economic development, a robust infrastructure, and strong policy support.