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Science & Technology Strategy and Policy

Research on the Impact of E-commerce Policies on Urban Green

Ecological Efficiency

—Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on National E-commerce Demon⁃

stration Cities

Xiao Yue1 Wu Si2

(1.Institute of Statistics and Management Science, Henan Academy of Social Sciences, Zhengzhou 451464,

China; 2.Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

Abstract: Against the backdrop of strengthening ecological civilization construction and pro⁃

moting green and low-carbon development, cities are exploring a green development path that

balances ecological environment and economic growth to improve their green ecological effi⁃

ciency. E-commerce, which is the electronic form of traditional business activities based on in⁃

formation technology and big data, is playing a significant role in this endeavor. Covering various

aspects of traditional commerce in digital platforms, it is creating a new retail model that inte⁃

grates online and offline collaboration, offering new ideas for cities to achieve high-quality eco⁃

nomic development that is connotative, intensive, and green. This research is based on panel

data from 283 cities, using the construction of national E-commerce demonstration cities as a

quasi-natural experiment. Difference-in-differences (DID) with multiple time periods models,

spatial econometric models, mediating effect models, etc. are used to explore the impact and

mechanism of E-commerce policies on urban green ecological efficiency. The research results

indicate that E-commerce policies have significantly improved urban green ecological effi⁃

ciency. The results have been validated through robustness tests such as parallel trend tests, pla⁃

cebo tests, and instrumental variable methods. The spatial effect analysis found that e

commerce policies not only improve the green ecological efficiency of the local area but also

have positive spatial spillover effects on the green ecological efficiency of adjacent areas. The

mechanism analysis results indicate that E-commerce policies enhance urban green ecological

efficiency by promoting technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading. Heterogene⁃

ity testing found that the impact of E-commerce policies on green ecological efficiency varies

due to differences in urban location and resource endowment. The impact is more pronounced in

the eastern and central regions and non-resource-based cities and has a significant improve⁃

ment effect on resource-based cities. Studying the relationship and transmission path between

e-commerce and the green economy is of great significance for accelerating the green transforma⁃

tion of the urban economy, forming new quality productivity, and promoting sustainable high

quality development of the economy and society.

Key words: national E-commerce demonstration cities; green ecological efficiency; techno⁃

logical innovation; spatial spillover effects