The Impact of the New Energy Demonstration City Policy on Green Growth in Pilot Cities: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Chinese Prefecture-Level Cities

Yang Ma

doi:10.54097/60k2eq05

Authors

Yang Ma

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/60k2eq05

Keywords:

New Energy Demonstration City Policy; Green Growth; Green Total Factor Productivity; Technological Innovation; Energy Consumption Structure; Heterogeneity Analysis.

Abstract

This study employs the quasi-natural experiment of the New Energy Demonstration City policy, utilizing panel data from 217 prefecture-level cities between 2012 and 2021 and adopting a difference-in-differences (DID) model to investigate how the New Energy Demonstration City policy affects green growth in pilot cities. The results demonstrate that the New Energy Demonstration City policy significantly enhances the green total factor productivity of pilot cities, particularly achieving positive outcomes in promoting green industries and technological innovation. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy drives green growth by facilitating the transformation of household energy consumption structure and the expansion of industrial scale, with a significant positive relationship between the increase in the number of industrial enterprises and green total factor productivity. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that different city types and fiscal conditions have significant differences in policy effects, with resource-based cities and cities under greater fiscal pressure experiencing more pronounced increases in green productivity after policy implementation. The study suggests that future policies should focus on the popularization of clean energy and industrial green transformation, and adjust policy strategies according to the resource endowments and fiscal capabilities of cities. This research provides theoretical support and policy recommendations for further optimizing the New Energy Demonstration City policy.

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