TY - JOUR
T1 - How does innovative city policy break carbon lock-in? A spatial difference-in-differences analysis for China
AU - Zhao, Congyu
AU - Wang, Kun
AU - Dong, Kangyin
N1 - Funding Information:
This article has been sponsored by the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20VGQ003 and 22VMG013 ) and the Major Project of Beijing Municipal Philosophy and Social Sciences Fund (Grant No. 18ZDA04 ). The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful reviews and comments from the editors and anonymous reviewers, which improved this manuscript considerably. Certainly, any errors are our own.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Innovative cities, as spatial containers of innovation, help to accelerate the agglomeration of innovation factors. Hence, they tend to rely on knowledge, science, and technology, rather than traditional energy to realize development. Based on a panel dataset of 283 Chinese cities for the period 2003–2017, we empirically investigate the impact of innovative city policy (ICP) on carbon lock-in (CLI) using the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) method. Moreover, we examine the direct and indirect spillover effects of this policy. We also discuss the dynamic effect, heterogeneity, mediating mechanisms, and the spatial effect within different distance bands. We find that: (1) accelerating innovation in cities can not only mitigate CLI locally, but can also inhibit CLI in neighboring cities; (2) both short-term and long-term policy effects are verified, and ICP shows a long-lasting policy effect with more impetus; (3) ICP has a greater restraining effect on CLI in cities that are non-resource based, have smaller populations, and higher physical, human, and social capital; and (4) technology and industry structure effects are two influence mechanisms. And the policy effect attenuates when distance bands are expanded. Based on the above findings, we put forward several specific policy recommendations to boost innovation and curb CLI.
AB - Innovative cities, as spatial containers of innovation, help to accelerate the agglomeration of innovation factors. Hence, they tend to rely on knowledge, science, and technology, rather than traditional energy to realize development. Based on a panel dataset of 283 Chinese cities for the period 2003–2017, we empirically investigate the impact of innovative city policy (ICP) on carbon lock-in (CLI) using the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) method. Moreover, we examine the direct and indirect spillover effects of this policy. We also discuss the dynamic effect, heterogeneity, mediating mechanisms, and the spatial effect within different distance bands. We find that: (1) accelerating innovation in cities can not only mitigate CLI locally, but can also inhibit CLI in neighboring cities; (2) both short-term and long-term policy effects are verified, and ICP shows a long-lasting policy effect with more impetus; (3) ICP has a greater restraining effect on CLI in cities that are non-resource based, have smaller populations, and higher physical, human, and social capital; and (4) technology and industry structure effects are two influence mechanisms. And the policy effect attenuates when distance bands are expanded. Based on the above findings, we put forward several specific policy recommendations to boost innovation and curb CLI.
KW - Innovative city policy
KW - Carbon lock-in
KW - Spatial difference-in-differences
KW - Internal channels
KW - China
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148962606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104249
DO - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104249
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0264-2751
VL - 136
JO - Cities
JF - Cities
M1 - 104249
ER -