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As an important strategy for China to achieve green development, the low-carbon city pilot (LCC) policy has been studied mainly focusing on its positive impact on pollution control, while ignoring the potential economic effects, especially not focusing on the impact of the policy on entrepreneurship. For this reason, based on the registration data of new manufacturing enterprises at the city level of China from 2005 to 2019, we take the LCC policy as a quasi-natural experiment and adopt the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) approach to systematically explore the impact of the LCC policy on urban entrepreneurship. The empirical results show that: (1) The LCC policy significantly crowds out manufacturing enterprises' urban entrepreneurship, and this crowding-out effect gradually rises with the implementation time of the policy. (2) The crowding-out effect of the LCC policy on entrepreneurship is stronger for state-owned enterprises, heavily polluting enterprises, environmentally friendly cities, and low-market cities. (3) The mechanism analysis demonstrates that raising the economic growth target and lowering environmental constraints can alleviate the crowding-out effect of the LCC policy. Moreover, LCC policy has a spatial spillover effect that obviously crowds out manufacturing enterprises in neighbouring cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of increasingly intensified conflicts between the development of heavily polluting enterprises and the resource environment, Confucian culture, which advocates environmental protection, has gradually penetrated into management decisions and has become an important tool for promoting green investment and transformation of enterprises. This study investigates the impact of Confucian culture on green investment efficiency using the SBM-DEA model and a multidimensional fixed-effects model (time, year, and region) with Chinese heavy polluting enterprises as a sample from 2016 to 2020. The findings of the study indicate that Confucian culture can enhance the efficiency of firms’ green investments. This is achieved by fostering human capital and managerial capabilities. This relationship is more pronounced among firms in regions with fewer environmental regulations and among state-owned enterprises. It is therefore recommended that heavily polluting enterprises, with the support of the government, should give play to the guiding role of Confucian culture and integrate the spirit of Confucianism into their operation and management. The results of this paper verify the effectiveness of Confucian culture, which is very important for accelerating the green development of heavy polluting enterprises and enriching and expanding related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the integration of corporate, environmental and social factors into the management of business has been intensively promoted. Our paper focuses on the quality of the sustainability reports (SR) of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The methodological approach is based on the framework for content analysis provided by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) disclosure in non-financial/SR, using the translation table for linking SDGs and GRI Standards to evaluate the status of SDG compliance. The results reveal that companies in both countries generally report most intensively in the economic segment, as far as GRI standards and SDGs are concerned, exposing the economic value in the Benington (2011) theoretical model. Comparatively, Slovenian SOEs' SRs disclose on average a lower percentage of GRI standards in all four segments (general, economic, environmental, and social) than Austrian SOEs, while more than 70% of SDG 4 is reported in Slovenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical and empirical evidence point to the ability of political leaders to manipulate economic policies and leverage local firms to elevate their political careers. Despite this, there is limited understanding of how these career incentives impact the operational dynamics of the firms involved. This empirical study delves into this gap, revealing that city leaders with fewer promotional incentives are more inclined to mobilize state-owned enterprises (SOEs) within their jurisdiction to pursue sustainable development, as indicated by heightened corporate operational efficiency. Our analysis further indicates that the career prospects of city leaders significantly influence the operational efficiency of SOEs by driving a shift in focus from rapid growth to sustainable development and firms' adoption of disruptive technologies. We posit that this increase in operational efficiency not only benefits the SOEs but also generates unique value for stakeholders, resulting in elevated market capitalization and reduced stock price crash risk. Our findings carry direct relevance to the ongoing discourse on political incentives and contribute to operations management research, shedding light on the intricate ways in which the political environment can impact the operational performance of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has become a corporate goal all over the world, and innovation as a crucial prerequisite for sustainable development has attracted much attention. This study investigates the relationship between the business environment and corporate innovation in Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2017 to 2020. We use a complex indicator to measure the business environment and use multiple regression models to conduct the analysis. The findings suggest that a favorable business environment promotes corporate innovation by reducing financing constraints and environmental uncertainty. Compared to non-state-owned enterprises, the positive impact of the business environment on corporate innovation is enhanced in state-owned enterprises. Concentrated ownership enhances the positive impact of a favorable business environment on corporate innovation. Our study provides a new analytical perspective on the relationship between the business environment and corporate innovation in the context of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital transformation that induces the disruption of traditional production models is as crucial as the green development emphasized during the construction of an ecological civilization. However, there is ongoing debate about whether, and under what contextual conditions, digital transformation promotes corporate green innovation. Using data from A-share listed enterprises on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2012 to 2019, this study employs a fixed effect model to analyze the effect of digital transformation on green innovation and its specific mechanisms. There are four findings. (1) Digital transformation significantly improves green innovation in enterprises. This conclusion is supported by quantile analysis and endogenous treatment based on a multi-period difference-in-differences model. (2) Digital transformation stimulates green innovation by enhancing absorptive capacity and internal control. (3) Industry heterogeneity analysis indicates that, compared with non-state-owned enterprises, digital transformation has a greater positive effect on green innovation in state-owned enterprises. The positive effect of digital transformation on green innovation is significant in technology-intensive enterprises but not in non-technology-intensive enterprises. (4) External context tests show that in regions with stringent environmental regulations, digital transformation significantly promotes green innovation, whereas in regions with weak environmental regulations, its effect is not significant. Furthermore, the positive correlation between digital transformation and green innovation remains largely unchanged as the level of green finance increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Resource-Exhausted City Promotion (RECP) program is a significant initiative by the Chinese government aimed at fostering transformation. The RECP program constitutes a vital avenue for advancing low-carbon transformation, though its influence on microenterprises' carbon emissions and underlying mechanisms remains unexplored. We use China's industrial enterprise database from 2003 to 2014 and organize data concerning resourceexhausted cities in China. Employing the staggered Difference-in-Differences (staggered DID) method, the research investigates the impact of the RECP program on enterprise carbon emission intensity. Results show that the impact of the RECP program on enterprise carbon emission intensity is significantly negative. This effect is more significant for enterprises in areas with lower environmental protection pressure, those situated in mining cities, larger enterprises, and those exhibiting higher carbon emission intensity. Furthermore, we identify the influencing channels from the above effect as the screening effect and the tourism development level. The screening effect resulting from the exit of enterprises in highly polluting industries can exacerbate the negative impact of the RECP program on the enterprise carbon emission intensity. Meanwhile, enhancing the level of tourism in the region is a key strategy for the RECP program to further reduce the enterprise carbon emission intensity. This effect emerges as a crucial approach for reducing enterprise carbon emission intensity within the RECP program framework. The results of this study contribute to driving the implementation of such program for government and enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposal of the "dual carbon" targets has provided direction for promoting China's economic green transformation and green innovation. As enterprises are important entities driving technological innovation in China, enhancing their green innovation capabilities holds significant practical significance for reducing carbon emissions. While the flourishing development of the digital economy currently provides new avenues and impetus for enterprise green innovation, research on the micro-level effects of green innovation driven by digital economy is still lacking. Therefore, based on data from Chinese cities spanning 2010 to 2021 and micro-level data of listed enterprises, this paper employs fixed effect model and intermediary effect model to empirically test the effect and mechanism of urban digital economy development on the quality and quantity of enterprise green innovation. Additionally, it investigates the carbon emission reduction effect resulting from digital economy development. The findings are as follows: (1) The development of digital economy exhibits a significant green innovation effect, effectively enhancing both the "quality and quantity" of enterprise green innovation. Particularly noteworthy is its impact on the quality of green innovation in enterprises, a result corroborated by several robustness tests. (2) Promoting regional knowledge spillover and alleviating enterprise financing constraints emerge as mechanisms through which the digital economy enhances the "quality and quantity" of enterprise green innovation. (3) Heterogeneity testing reveals that the digital economy exerts a greater green innovation effect on enterprises located in regions characterized by higher environmental regulations, high-tech industries, and state-owned enterprises. (4) Further analysis demonstrates that the digital economy effectively reduces enterprises carbon emissions and enhances their carbon performance by driving green innovation, thus providing endogenous impetus for achieving the "dual carbon" goals. By examining the effects and mechanisms of green innovation driven by digital economy from the perspectives of promoting knowledge spillover and alleviating financing constraints, this study enriches theoretical research on the relationship between the digital economy and green innovation at the enterprise micro-level. It offers new insights for governments in formulating green innovation policies and serves as a reference for green innovation decision-making in other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key to obtaining the Social License to Operate (SLO) for businesses in the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) infrastructure projects is the justice of the process. The study constructs a model to analyze the effect of the four components of procedural justice (procedural regulations and the behavior and attitudes of the government and construction enterprises) on the SLO. A large-scale questionnaire survey is conducted to assess the role and the extent of the influence of these four components in obtaining the SLO for NIMBY infrastructures. The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and mediation effects tests show that procedural justice significantly influences the SLO for NIMBY infrastructure projects. All four components significantly improve community trust and social acceptance of the project. The construction enterprise's informal treatment of the public's behavior and attitudes has the largest influence, whereas the government's formal treatment of the public's behavior and attitudes has the least influence. The findings provide theoretical and practical guidance for improving the SLO for NIMBY infrastructure projects and promoting the sustainable development of these projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst growing environmental challenges linked to coal dependence, fostering green innovation in new energy enterprises is vital for sustainable development in China. Although there have been studies on green innovation of new energy enterprises in recent years, few studies have been conducted from the perspective of ESG, whether informal environmental regulation represented by ESG can stimulate the green innovation of new energy enterprises is of great significance to China's construction of a low-carbon and secure energy system. In this paper, from the perspective of informal environmental regulation, based on the ESG ratings of SynTaoGreen Finance's first public newenergy listed companies as an exogenous shock, and taking A-share new energy listed companies as a sample from 2010 to 2021, we empirically verified the effect and mechanism of ESG ratings on the green innovation of new energy companies in terms of the quantity and quality of green innovations by utilizing the Staggered Difference-indifference (DID) model. The findings demonstrate that new energy enterprises' green patent numbers and quality are greatly enhanced by ESG grading. However, there is clear heterogeneity in this green innovation effect, which is particularly visible in new energy firms with state-owned enterprise and greater enterprise scales and a higher level of digitization. The Mechanistic findings suggest that ESG ratings drive green innovation by alleviating financial constraints, reducing agency risk, and boosting R&D, thus providing empirical evidence for the development of a green innovation ecosystem in the new energy industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the relationship between the utilization of scientific and technological information resources and breakthrough innovation in enterprises, examining the moderating role of strategic aggressiveness in this relationship. Based on an investigation of 438,228 patent data from 2616 Chinese enterprises, we construct a theoretical framework of "strategy–capability–performance" and conduct an empirical study using a mixed-effects model. The results indicate that both the intensity and imbalance of scientific and technological information resource utilization have significant positive effects on breakthrough innovation in enterprises. Further analysis reveals that strategic aggressiveness plays a moderating role in the relationship between the utilization of scientific and technological information resources and breakthrough innovation. Additionally, heterogeneity analysis shows differences in the impact of scientific and technological information resource utilization on breakthrough innovation across different regions and ownership types. Specifically, the imbalance of scientific and technological information resource utilization in coastal areas has a greater impact on breakthrough innovation than in non-coastal areas, and the intensity of scientific and technological information resource utilization in state-owned enterprises has a greater impact on breakthrough innovation than in non-state-owned enterprises. The findings of this study provide important insights for enterprise innovation management, helping enterprises to more effectively utilize scientific and technological information resources to drive breakthrough innovation and promote sustainable and healthy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in addressing resource and environmental constraints and achieving sustainable economic and social development. This study examines the impact and mechanisms of AI on the green and low‐carbon transformation of enterprises using a sample of companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2009 to 2021. The research findings indicate that AI has the capability to effectively mitigate corporate carbon emissions (CCE) and enhance the level of green innovation (GI) in enterprises. Mechanism analysis reveals that energy consumption plays a mediating role in the relationship between AI and CCE. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of AI on CCE is more pronounced in private enterprises and non‐heavy polluting industries. However, the impact of AI on GI is greater in state‐owned enterprises and heavy‐polluting industries. This study sheds light on the influence of AI on the green and low‐carbon transformation of enterprises, as well as its transmission mechanisms. It provides theoretical and empirical insights for promoting GI, reducing emissions, and improving energy efficiency in enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon pilot city (LCPC) plays a pivotal role in stimulating green innovation among enterprises. However, relying solely on policy often proves less effective, necessitating support from financial development. Yet, current research frequently overlooks the impact of financial development on LCPC policy. Drawing on economic, management, and organizational psychology theories, we investigate the influence of the financial development level on enterprise green innovation in LCPC, utilizing data from listed companies between 2010 and 2018. The main finding is that LCPC facilitates institutional-level green innovation. Concurrently, financial development augments the effectiveness of LCPC policy, further expediting green innovation activities among enterprises in these pilot cities. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that financial development significantly promotes green innovation, particularly among state-owned enterprises, those with myopic management, non-high technology industries, and businesses in the southern region within LCPC. Mechanism tests identify enterprises' financing constraints and R&D investment levels as key pathways through which financial development fosters green economic development in LCPC. This study provides micro-level evidence from China elucidating the effects of environmental policies and offers practical implications for the low-carbon transformation of the manufacturing sector amid peak emissions and carbon-neutral targets. Additionally, it provides valuable guidance for other emerging economies seeking enhanced resource and environmental protection through the implementation of energy-saving and emission-reduction fiscal policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving corporate carbon performance is imperative for sustainable economic and social development. Using a sample of Chinese A-share-listed manufacturing firms from 2012 to 2019, this study explores how government environmental subsidies affect corporate carbon performance. The baseline results show that government environmental subsidies are positively associated with corporate carbon performance, suggesting an improving effect of government environmental subsidies on corporate carbon performance. These results are robust to a set of sensitivity tests. Further, the channel analyses show that government environmental subsidies improve corporate carbon performance by alleviating financial constraints and enhancing environmental information disclosure. Moreover, cross-sectional analyses show that the improving effect of government environmental subsidies on corporate carbon performance is stronger in state-owned enterprises, in firms with higher executive environmental awareness, and in firms with higher media attention. This study provides meaningful insights for the government seeking to promote low-carbon development through environmental subsidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the predicament of sustainable improvement in traditional cities, the low-carbon city pilot policy (LCCPP), as a novel development mode, provides thinking for resolving the tensions of green development, resource conservation and environmental protection among firms. Using Chinese A-share listed companies panel data during 2007–2019, this study adopts the difference-in-differences model to explore the impact of LCCPP on firm green innovation. Based on theoretical analysis, LCCPP-driven environmental rules have the impact of encouraging business green innovation. The relationship between LCCPP and green innovation is strengthened by external media attention and organizational redundancy resources. The mechanism study shows that the incentive effect of LCCPP on firm green innovation is mainly due to the improvement of enterprises' green total factor productivity and financial stability. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the LCCPP has significantly positive effects in promoting green innovation in high-carbon industries and state-owned enterprises. This research contributes to the understanding of city-level low-carbon policies as a driving force for corporate green innovation, offering practical implications for policymakers and businesses striving for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development is the main theme of today's economic and social development. Given the principle of "a promising government and an effective market", how to promote the green development of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through government regulations is a scientific problem to be solved urgently. Leveraging the quasinatural experiment of the Opinions on Further Promoting the Implementation of the "Three Importances and One Greatness" Decision-making System in SOEs by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council in 2010 in China, we examine the impact of the "Three Importances and One Greatness" system on SOEs' green innovation and its mechanism. The results show that the enforcement of this system significantly improves the green innovation level of SOEs. Specifically, the green innovation level of SOEs increased by 23.98% on average after the implementation of the system, which is equivalent to an average increase of 1.271 in green patents granted. Moreover, the mechanism test results show that the effect of "Three Importances and One Greatness" on the green innovation level of SOEs occurs by inhibiting management myopia and increasing enterprises' green investments. Furthermore, the impact of the collective decision-making system on the level of green innovation is more pronounced among firms separated by their large scale and high media attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the long-term constraints posed by the "dual carbon" objective, can digital technology emerge as a transformative solution for enterprises to embark on a sustainable development trajectory? The existing body of research has yet to reach a consensus. In order to shed further light on the intricate relationship between digital transformation and ESG performance of enterprises, this study empirically examines the mechanisms and boundaries through which digital transformation influences ESG performance, based on observational data from A-share manufacturing listed companies in Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange spanning from 2011 to 2021. The findings demonstrate that digital transformation exerts a significant positive impact on the ESG performance of manufacturing enterprises. Mechanism analysis reveals that the enabling effect of digital transformation primarily enhances company transparency, thereby fostering continuous improvements in ESG performance among manufacturing enterprises. The performance expectation gap will give rise to the phenomenon of "stop-loss in time" and impede the promotional impact of digital transformation. Further investigation into industrial characteristics and industry competition intensity indicates that state-owned enterprises and those operating within highly competitive environments experience more pronounced effects of digital transformation on their ESG performance. This study expands the mechanism and boundary of digital transformation on ESG performance of manufacturing enterprises, and provides a new perspective for manufacturing enterprises to realize the collaborative transformation of digital and green. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green credit policy serves as a crucial instrument for achieving the dual objectives of optimal resource allocation and green development. It plays a pivotal role in curbing inefficient investments in innovation by enterprises. This research employs the PSM-DID method to effectively explore the practical effects of the green credit policy on the innovation inefficiency investments of heavily polluting enterprises in China. Examining the impact from the perspectives of environmental regulation and financial constraints, the study utilizes panel data from listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares markets spanning from 2010 to 2020. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) Green credit policy has proven effective in inhibiting the inefficient investment in innovation by heavily polluting enterprises when compared to non-heavily polluting enterprises. (2) Moreover, this effect is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and regions with less financial development. (3) Mechanism testing reveals that the green credit policy can discourage corporate over-investment by influencing financing constraints and can alleviate under-investment through commercial credit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the development of green finance (GF) is a critical way to address the environmental and developmental problems in China. While existing studies have examined the macroscopic role of GF, few pay attention to its impact on micro-enterprises. To investigate the effect of GF on micro-enterprises, this study considers green credit as a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the effect on firms' green total factor productivity (GTFP). We use the SBM-Malmquist method to measure firms' GTFP and adopt the double dual machine learning approach to explore its impact and potential mechanisms. The findings indicate that (1) the GF can effectively promote the GTFP at the firm level, which has been reconfirmed by robustness tests. (2) The GF can improve firms' GTFP through three pathways: promoting firms' green innovation, alleviating financing constraints, and strengthening managers' environmental concerns. (3). The heterogeneity analysis verifies that state-owned enterprises and large-size firms are more sensitive to the response of green finance. The results of this study lend support to the establishment of green finance and the formulation of corporate green development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy guidance is a key driving force for improving the business performance of marine resource enterprises. This study establishes a DEA-fsQCA model, selects 42 listed marine resource enterprises as samples, analyzes the business performance improvement paths of marine resource enterprises, and proposes relevant policy recommendations for the government to guide marine resource enterprises to improve their business performance. The result shows that there are three different path models for the high business performance of marine resource enterprises based on their scale and property-right attributes: the "private green innovation" type, the "private green concentration" type, and the "state-owned incentive decentralized" type. According to the research results, this study suggests that, in the process of promoting the improvement of the business performance of marine resource enterprises, the Chinese government should promote the green development of enterprises, stimulate the technological innovation vitality of private marine resource enterprises, optimize enterprise executive incentive policies, and deepen the reform of mixed ownership in state-owned enterprises. Compared with previous studies, this article presents a fresh perspective on researching marine resource enterprises from a macro perspective and constructs a policy system for improving the business performance of different types of marine resource enterprises, providing valuable reference and guidance for the high-quality development of marine resource enterprises and the overall marine economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 625 industrial listed enterprises of China from 2012 to 2020, this paper employs the method of propensity score matching–difference in difference to investigate the effect of financial–industrial integration on the enterprise's green development performance and the moderating role of green technology innovation on the relationship between the two is also addressed. It finds that first, financial–industrial integration has a significant promoting effect on the improvement in green development performance of enterprises, and green technology innovation has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between the two. In addition, the effect of financial–industrial integration on enterprise's economic and social performance is not significant, and it mainly promotes enterprise's green development by stimulating environmental performance. Moreover, the degree of financial–industrial integration has a moderate range in which the role of financial–industrial integration can be better played. Further, compared with state-owned enterprise and large-scale enterprise, financial–industrial integration is more conducive to the green development of non-state-owned enterprises and small-scale enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Ciência & Trópico (03042685) is the property of Fundacao Joaquim Nabuco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the era of a green economy, green innovation has become a way for enterprises to gain competitive advantage, and it is of great theoretical and practical significance to explore the driving force of enterprises' green innovation. This study explores the peer effect of an enterprise's green innovation and conducts an empirical test using data from 3338 Chinese listed companies in 2020. The results show a significant positive peer effect of enterprises' green innovation, and the green innovation of individual enterprises increases by 0.869 for each unit increase in industry‐average green innovation. Further research shows that market power is the channel by which peer influence affects an enterprise's green innovation. Moreover, regional heterogeneity exists in the strength of the peer effect, which varies according to firm maturity and board size. These findings provide a reference for enterprises and governments to promote green transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative green technology innovation is potentially the answer to the lack of motivation for independent green innovation, which can effectively alleviate many difficulties faced by enterprises engaging in independent green innovation. Internet development provides new opportunities to stimulate innovative cooperation of enterprises. However, little literature has studied the impact of Internet development on enterprises' cooperative green technology innovation. Based on the data of Chinese A-share 3284 listed companies from 2010 to 2019, this paper uses a panel two-way fixed effects model to assess the effect of Internet development on enterprises' cooperative green innovation. The findings are: (1) Internet development significantly drives firms' collaborative green innovation behavior. The result remains robust even after performing a series of robust tests. (2) The Internet empowers green innovation cooperation among firms by improving information availability, including market information availability and technical information availability. (3) The heterogeneous results show enterprises use the Internet to accomplish high-quality collaborative green innovation. Internet development is more helpful in encouraging the cooperative green innovation of enterprises located in central cities and state-owned enterprises. This study provides novel and targeted policy implications to empower enterprises' green innovation cooperation and drive sustainable economic development through Internet development. [Display omitted] • This paper uncovers the role of Internet development on firms' cooperative green technology innovation. • Internet development significantly drives collaborative green innovation behavior of firms. • Market information availability and technological information availability are influencing mechanisms. • Some constructive policy recommendations are proposed for promoting cooperative green technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance evaluation method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) is one of the important tools to measure the competitiveness and productivity of enterprises. However, the input and output of enterprises may contain negative data and the essence of DEA is an iterative optimization model, resulting in a low applicability of the DEA-based performance evaluation method in the real word, especially for the dilemma of evaluating enterprise performance within a limited time for new enterprises. Therefore, this study firstly develops a DEA model that can handle negative data for enterprise performance evaluation, and then further establishes a new method base on the extended belief rule-base (EBRB) model for enterprise performance online evaluation. A case study about 35 Chinese state-owned enterprises are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed enterprise performance online evaluation method. Experimental results showed that the proposed method has capable of evaluating enterprise performance with accurate efficiency values better than some existing performance evaluation methods, and its computation time is significantly less than the DEA-based performance evaluation method, which guarantee that the proposed enterprise performance online evaluation method can serve as a reference for the promotion of enterprise productivity and sustainable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stabilization of growth and preservation of employment are the primary objectives of the current new economic normal. Investigating whether the low-carbon transition can be an opportunity or a shock for employment expansion in green development requires thorough examination. This study utilizes multi-temporal difference-in-difference (DID) models, analyzing comprehensive panel data from China (2007–2019) to assess the impact of the Low-carbon City Pilot (LCCP) policy on employment at meso-regional and micro-firm levels. Empirical findings robustly reveal that LCCP significantly boosts employment, with average treatment effects of approximately 0.548% and 5.892% at regional and firm scales, respectively. Positive impacts vary based on ownership, location, industry type, and energy consumption within enterprises. Notably, state-owned enterprises, those in the eastern region, engaged in secondary industries, and with high energy consumption experience pronounced positive effects. Mechanism analysis further reveals that LCCP boosts employment via promoting government environmental subsidies and expanding enterprise investment scale to create more jobs. These findings provide policy recommendations for further promoting low-carbon transition and expanding employment to achieve the win-win goal of sustainable development. • Low Carbon City Pilot Policies (LCCP) can promote employment both at the regional and firm level. • The role of LCCP is achieved via two channels. • The facilitation effect of LCCP varies across cities, firms and industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving corporate green technology innovation is a key link in achieving green transformation and development. Compared with formal environmental regulations that force companies to carry out green innovation passively, ESG ratings under soft environmental regulations can better stimulate the internal motivation of companies. This study uses the ESG ratings of listed companies published for the first time by SynTao Green Finance as an exogenous impact. Taking China's A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2022 as a research sample, the multi-period differences-in-differences model was used to empirically test the impact of ESG rating soft supervision on corporate green technology innovation. The results show that the impact of ESG rating events as a soft market regulation has a significant positive impact on the improvement of corporate green technology innovation. This conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. Meanwhile, enterprise digital transformation plays a positive regulatory role. The heterogeneity test shows that the green technology innovation of state-owned enterprises is more affected by ESG ratings. Mechanism research has found that ESG rating events promote corporate green technology innovation by easing corporate financing constraints and reducing managerial myopia. Further research found that under the influence of the external environment, intensified market competition and increased attention from the capital market are also conducive to the improvement of corporate green technology innovation. This study strengthens the corporate ESG concept under the guidance of green development and provides empirical evidence for promoting corporate green transformation. • The difference-in-differences method is employed to verify the causal effect of ESG rating. • Incorporate digital transformation of enterprises, financing constraints, and managerial myopia into the research content. • Consider the impact of external market environment on research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon trading market is a central policy tool for promoting cleaner enterprises' energy consumption and investment behaviors. It is crucial for enterprises to establish a green and low-carbon development model by clarifying carbon trading impact mechanism on enterprise behaviors and the interactive relationship between entities in the carbon market. China's contract-based carbon market is still in the development stage, the impact of the mainstream allowance mechanism and government regulation on enterprises' energy behaviors has yet to be determined. In view of this, this paper describes mathematical mechanisms of the influence of carbon prices and carbon quotas on enterprises' energy consumption and investment, and the evolutionary game model of government-enterprise behaviors is constructed, the evolution process and appropriate strategies of enterprises' energy behaviors in the development of the carbon market are discussed. This paper uses real data of China carbon market to simulate the model, it is found that strategies such as relaxation of carbon quotas and carbon subsidies dynamization are needed during the initial development of the market. In the mature stage of the carbon market, strategies are needed to increase the proportion of government carbon revenue and reduce its regulatory cost. The higher the initial willingness of government-enterprise, the better the effect of strategies and the constraints of public willingness. The model and results have theoretical implications for enterprises' energy transformation and government regulation, and provide a reference for the development of China's carbon market. • Constructed benefit-cost analytical framework for enterprises' energy behaviors. • Described mechanisms of carbon trading affecting enterprises' energy behaviors. • Constructed government-enterprise behaviors model by the evolutionary game theory. • Found new conclusions of enterprises' energy behaviors under the carbon market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]