Search

Amidst rapidly evolving market conditions, relying solely on internal information and knowledge for innovation has proven inadequate. The emergence of the digital economy injected renewed vitality into enterprise innovation. However, existing studies have predominantly concentrated on the digital transformation intrinsic to enterprises, neglecting the impact of partners' digital transition on enterprises’ innovation performance. From the perspective of supply chain spillovers, this study evaluates the influence of digital transitions in upstream and downstream enterprises on the innovation activities of midstream enterprises. The results show that the digital transformation of enterprises within the supply chain exhibits a transmission effect, and the digital transformation of upstream and downstream enterprises significantly promotes the innovation performance of midstream enterprises. The mechanistic analysis revealed that the digital transformation of upstream and downstream enterprises mainly enhances the resilience of the supply chain by improving its efficiency, optimizing the match between supply and demand, and stabilizing the relationship between supply and demand, thus promoting the innovation level of midstream enterprises. Further analysis shows that improvements in the innovation output of midstream enterprises are reflected in the quality of innovation. When the upstream and downstream firms belong to the same industry, the supply chain spillover effect of digital transformation is more evident, and simultaneously, the digital collaboration of the supply chain can promote the innovation of midstream enterprises.

ObjectiveThis study recalculates the carbon emissions of urban and rural residents in China, analyzing the dynamic evolution trends of urban and rural carbon emissions. It explores the spatial spillover effects centered around the inequality in carbon emissions between urban and rural areas.MethodsThe study calculates the carbon emissions of urban and rural residents in each province based on the IPCC method. Non-parametric kernel density estimation is employed to depict the dynamic evolution characteristics of national, urban, and rural carbon emissions. The Theil Index is used to measure the disparities in urban and rural carbon emissions in major strategic regions, further applying the Theil Index to evaluate the inequality of urban and rural carbon emissions across provinces. This helps identify the driving factors affecting the inequality of urban and rural carbon emissions and their spatio-temporal effects.FindingCarbon emissions from urban and rural residents in China present a divergent development pattern. Urban emissions have increased, with inter-provincial disparities widening; rural emissions tend to stabilize, with slight growth in inter-provincial gaps. The overall inequality of carbon emissions in various regions of China experiences a three-phase journey of rise, decline, and stabilization. Urban inequality first increases then decreases, while rural inequality gradually lessens, showing clear regional and urban-rural differences. Market and government factors significantly impact the inequality of urban and rural carbon emissions. The development of the digital economy aids in reducing inequality and generates significant spatial spillover effects. The relationship between economic development level and carbon emission inequality is U-shaped. Industrial structure optimization can reduce urban-rural inequality, but its spatial spillover effect is not significant. Government intervention has limited effects, while environmental regulations may increase inequality. Opening up to the outside world helps reduce inequality, and the impact of population density is complex.

The innovation and development of enterprises are influenced by both internal management and external economic policy uncertainty. This study examines methods for enterprises to ensure the development of sustainable innovation under economic policy uncertainty. Specifically, this study examines the effect of national economic policy uncertainty as a threshold variable on enterprise financial flexibility in a sustainable innovation model using the micro data of non-financial companies in China's A-share market from 2007 to 2019. Through an empirical analysis of the mechanism of the effect of enterprise financial flexibility on innovation, this paper discusses the possible ''adaptive effect'' of financial flexibility under policy uncertainty. Using a threshold effect model, this study examines the coefficient change of the negative effect of enterprise financing constraints on sustainable innovation caused by fluctuations in economic policy uncertainty and records the threshold value of the economic policy uncertainty index. The results show that a rise in policy uncertainty has a negative impact on enterprise innovation, and enterprises can actively adjust their flexible financial reserve to gain an adaptive effect under the influence of policy uncertainty. The results indicate a simultaneous threshold effect based on economic policy uncertainty in a model of enterprise financing constraints and sustainable innovation. Accordingly, the economic policy uncertainty index can be divided into a “reasonable area” and “warning area,” to indicate the need for enterprises to take countermeasures to deal with the fluctuations caused by government economic policies appropriately.