NEW ENERGY DEMONSTRATION CITY CONSTRUCTION AND HIGH-QUALITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Environmental pollution and energy shortage are prominent global issues that severely hinder high-quality economic development (HQED). This not only concerns the common interests of the international community, but also relates to the planet’s future. Although scholars have studied the impact of the New Energy Demonstration City (NEDC) on environmental pollution and energy efficiency, empirical evidence on the impact of this policy on HQED is insufficient. Therefore, we propose three research hypotheses based on theoretical analysis and test them using a series of models. First, we use a difference-in-differences (DID) model to test the effect of NEDC on HQED. Second, we group the observed objects to verify the heterogeneity of policy effects among characteristic subjects. Finally, we adopt a moderating effect model to explore the mechanism of technological innovation. The empirical tests confirm our three hypotheses. This study identifies not only the contribution of NEDC to HQED at the theoretical and empirical levels, revealing the positive moderating effect of technological innovation, but also provides a theoretical framework for new energy utilization and high-quality economic growth in China.