Ecological innovation effect of broadband network infrastructure: Evidence from China

作者：Meitong Lu, Qi Luo, Dawei Feng · 发表于：Managerial and Decision Economics · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1002/mde.3794 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis、Energy, Environment, Economic Growth、ICT Impact and Policies

Abstract This study investigates the impact of Broadband Network Infrastructure (BNI) on urban ecological innovation (EI). The implementation of China's “Broadband China” Demonstration City (BCDC) construction policy provides a quasi‐natural experiment for examining the causal effect of BNI on urban EI. Using the difference‐in‐differences method, we find that BNI significantly increases the number of green patent applications in local cities, and that the effect is increasing over time. Examination of the underlying mechanism reveals that BNI promotes urban EI through stimulating entrepreneurship, improving human capital level, and attracting investment agglomeration. This paper contributes to the understanding of why significant innovation frequently occurs in places with relatively perfect infrastructure, such as networks.