Digital Economy and Green Development—Based on the Empirical Research on the Resource-based Prefecture-Level City

Abstract

Green development is the core content of the high-quality economic development, and the digital economy is the new driving force to accelerate the realization of high-quality economic development. In this regard, this paper selects 248 resource-based prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2019 as the research objects and uses the fixed effect model and mediation effect model to test the relationship between digital economy and regional green development. We get the following conclusions: first, there is the nonlinear relationship between digital economy and regional green development, and this relationship shows the inverted U-shape. Secondly, digital economy can influence regional green development through the path transmission mechanism of regional technological innovation, industrial structure and environmental regulation. Finally, the effect of digital economy on regional green development is heterogeneous, especially in the eastern region and cities with high human capital level. Based on the digital economy, the findings of this paper provide theoretical basis and reference suggestions for promoting the green transformation development of regional economy.