Impact of digital economy on ecological resilience of resource-based cities: Spatial spillover and mechanism

Abstract

Abstract The digital economy and the construction of ecological civilization are central issues in the sustainable development of resource-based cities, and the impact of the digital economy on the ecological resilience of resource-based cities deserves further consideration. This paper measures ecological resilience of 117 resource-based cities from 2011 to 2020 using the entropy weight TOPSIS method, and empirically investigates the impact and mechanism of digital economy on ecological resilience using the SDM model and intermediary effect model. The results show that: the ecological resilience of resource-based cities has a certain upward trend, with a stepwise distribution pattern from east to west. There is a significant positive correlation between ecological resilience of resource-based cities, showing the phenomenon of club convergence which is primarily dominated by H-H and L-L. The digital economy has a significant spatial spillover effect, which promotes ecological resilience in the local and adjacent regions. A mechanism analysis reveals that technological innovation plays a mediating role between digital economy and ecological resilience, with significant heterogeneity in region and growth cycle. Following the above findings, this paper proposes policy suggestions related to digital economy evolution and ecological resilience enhancement.