Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect
Abstract Against the backdrop of China’s “dual-carbon” goals and regional coordination strategies, information and communication technology (ICT) is positioned as a critical enabler to resolve efficiency-resource trade-offs and bridge spatial development gaps. This paper investigates the impact of I...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02957-1 |
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| author | Heyuan Fang Kashif Iqbal |
| author_facet | Heyuan Fang Kashif Iqbal |
| author_sort | Heyuan Fang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Against the backdrop of China’s “dual-carbon” goals and regional coordination strategies, information and communication technology (ICT) is positioned as a critical enabler to resolve efficiency-resource trade-offs and bridge spatial development gaps. This paper investigates the impact of ICT on the industrial structure upgrading (ISU) process using the Spatial Dubin Model (SDM). Based on the panel data of cities in the Yangtze River Delta region of China from 2001 to 2023, the empirical results indicate that ICT has a positive effect on ISU and that there are significant positive spatial spillover effects. Technological innovation and productivity improvement play essential mediating roles during this process. We also find that ICT has a greater impact on the cities in the early stages of industrial upgrading than on those in the developed stages. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers to leverage ICT’s cross-regional synergies, particularly in emerging economies grappling with imbalanced industrial ecosystems and sustainability constraints. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2be0ef41bb444398b1f32faa8459543d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-2be0ef41bb444398b1f32faa8459543d2025-08-20T03:16:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-02957-1Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effectHeyuan Fang0Kashif Iqbal1School of Digital Economics and Management, Wuxi UniversityDepartment of Economics and Finance, The Business School, RMIT VietnamAbstract Against the backdrop of China’s “dual-carbon” goals and regional coordination strategies, information and communication technology (ICT) is positioned as a critical enabler to resolve efficiency-resource trade-offs and bridge spatial development gaps. This paper investigates the impact of ICT on the industrial structure upgrading (ISU) process using the Spatial Dubin Model (SDM). Based on the panel data of cities in the Yangtze River Delta region of China from 2001 to 2023, the empirical results indicate that ICT has a positive effect on ISU and that there are significant positive spatial spillover effects. Technological innovation and productivity improvement play essential mediating roles during this process. We also find that ICT has a greater impact on the cities in the early stages of industrial upgrading than on those in the developed stages. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers to leverage ICT’s cross-regional synergies, particularly in emerging economies grappling with imbalanced industrial ecosystems and sustainability constraints.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02957-1Information and Communication Technology (ICT)Industrial Structure Upgrading (ISU)Ordinary Least Squared (OLS)Fixed Effects (FE)Spatial Dubin Model (SDM)China |
| spellingShingle | Heyuan Fang Kashif Iqbal Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect Scientific Reports Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industrial Structure Upgrading (ISU) Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) Fixed Effects (FE) Spatial Dubin Model (SDM) China |
| title | Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| title_full | Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| title_fullStr | Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| title_full_unstemmed | Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| title_short | Information and communication technology, upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| title_sort | information and communication technology upgrading of industrial structure and spatial spillover effect |
| topic | Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industrial Structure Upgrading (ISU) Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) Fixed Effects (FE) Spatial Dubin Model (SDM) China |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02957-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT heyuanfang informationandcommunicationtechnologyupgradingofindustrialstructureandspatialspillovereffect AT kashifiqbal informationandcommunicationtechnologyupgradingofindustrialstructureandspatialspillovereffect |