Study on the Impact of Establishing Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zones on Urban Economic Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/3swcwk78Keywords:
Big Data Pilot Zone, Urban Economic Resilience, Difference-in-Differences Method, Factor AgglomerationAbstract
China is currently undergoing a critical transition from old to new growth drivers, with enhancing urban economic resilience emerging as a core imperative for high-quality development. This study employs a natural experiment framework centred on the establishment of national big data comprehensive pilot zones, utilising a sample of 283 prefecture-level and above cities from 2012 to 2023. It employs a difference-in-differences approach to assess policy effects. Findings reveal that the establishment of big data pilot zones significantly enhances urban economic resilience. Mechanism analysis indicates these zones primarily exert influence through talent aggregation and enterprise clustering pathways. Further analysis demonstrates that policy effects are more pronounced in megacities and large cities, as well as in municipalities with robust intellectual property protection and strong policy implementation capacity. Policy recommendations are thus proposed to foster urban economic resilience.
Downloads
References
[1] C.S. Holling: Resilience and stability of ecological systems, Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 4 (1973) No.1, p.1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.04.110173.000245
[2] S. Davies: Regional resilience in the 2008-2010 downturn: comparative evidence from European countries, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Vol. 4 (2011) No.3, p.369-382. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsr019
[3] T. Xian, J. Zhou and J. Sun: Government Intervention in Digital Economic Development and Urban Economic Resilience, China Soft Science, (2024) No.5, p.111-121.
[4] W. Wang and Y. Liu: Centralised Patterns of Collaborative Innovation in Urban Agglomerations and Economic Resilience, Statistical Research, Vol. 42 (2025) No.4, p.112-123.
[5] C. Zhuo and Y. Mao: Institutional Opening-up and Urban Economic Resilience, International Trade Issues, (2023) No.4, p.1-17.
[6] R. Whitley: The Institutional Structuring of Innovation Strategies: Business Systems, Firm Types and Patterns of Technical Change in Different Market Economies, Organization Studies, Vol. 21 (2000) No.5, p.855-886. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840600215002
[7] J. Tan, P. Zhang, Lo K, et al. Conceptualizing and measuring economic resilience of resource-based cities: Case study of northeast China[J]. Chinese Geography Science, Vol. 27 (2017) No.3, p.471-481. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-017-0878-6
[8] R. Martin, P. Sunley. On the Notion of Regional Economic Resilience: Conceptualization and Explanation[J]. Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 15 (2015) No.1, p.1-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbu015
[9] X. Lu; Y. Teng: How Innovation-Driven Policies Enhance Urban Economic Resilience: A Mechanism Analysis Based on Efficient Markets and Effective Governance, China Soft Science, (2023) No.7, p.102-113.
[10] L. Wang, H. Jiang, Z. Dong: Will Industrial Intelligence Reshape the Geographical Landscape of Enterprises, China Industrial Economics, (2022) No.2, p.137–155.
[11] Y. Fan, & J. Li: Digital Empowerment: The Tax Administration Effects of Big Data Development. Economic Management, Vol. 46 (2024) No. 12, p. 38-59.
[12] J. Bai, Y. Zhang, Y. Bian: Do Innovation-Driven Policies Enhance Urban Entrepreneurial Activity? Empirical Evidence from China's National Innovation City Pilot Programme, China Industrial Economics, (2022) No.6, p.61-78.
[13] W.Z. Sun, N. Mao, F. Lan, et al.: Policy Empowerment, Digital Ecosystems and Corporate Digital Transformation: A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zones, China Industrial Economics, (2023) No.9, p.117-135.
[14] G. Ye, L. Cheng, H. Zhang, et al.: Mechanisms by which competition policy reinforcement and industrial policy transformation influence market efficiency: A discussion on effective markets and an active government, China Industrial Economics, (2022) No.1, p.74-92.
[15] F. Wang, X. Liu: Smart Manufacturing Policies, Knowledge Reconstruction and Supply Chain Resilience, Economic Management, Vol. 47 (2025) No.4, p.154-170.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of World Economic Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
