Search Results (1,351)

The recycling and reuse of discarded express delivery cartons can yield environmental, economic, and social benefits. A key factor influencing the volume of express packaging collected is the uncertainty in the total amount of such packaging within the service range of each collection point. Additional uncertainties include the costs associated with the construction of recycling stations, operational expenses, transportation costs, additional recycling fees, and government subsidies. To address the issue of express packaging recycling, a fuzzy integer programming model for the reverse logistics network of express packaging is constructed. The model aims to minimise the total network cost and maximise the total recycling rate while enabling decisions regarding the location of recycling facilities and the flow between facilities. Then, a memetic algorithm based on dynamic local search is designed. Several alternative solution approaches were considered to evaluate the proposed algorithm, including the precision optimization method (CPLEX) and a hybrid priority-based genetic algorithm. The results confirm the feasibility of the memetic algorithm. Finally, the applicability of this fuzzy programming model is analysed and validated by changing the confidence level. The case study results reveal quantifiable trade-offs: as the confidence level (α) increases from 0.75 to 0.90 under a fixed recycling rate threshold (ε = 80%), the total network cost rises approximately linearly, while the required number of recycling stations increases, with their average facility level upgrading accordingly. Variations in confidence levels and the degree of total recycling rate achievement can significantly influence the increase in target values. Moreover, the magnitude of this influence exhibits irregularity, indicating that changes in confidence levels entail a certain degree of risk. Full article

The digital transformation of high-end equipment is not only a critical means to enhance national core competitiveness, but also a necessary requirement within the framework of national development strategy. Major stakeholders in this transformation include local governments, high-end equipment manufacturers, financial institutions, and industrial technology platforms, all of whose interactions significantly influence the transformation process. This paper constructs a four-party evolutionary game model involving local governments, high-end equipment manufacturers, financial support institutions, and industrial technology platforms. Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the stable strategies and evolutionary trends of these four players under various parameters, while also exploring the long-term mechanisms for the digital transformation of high-end equipment facilitated by government subsidies. The results indicate that in the initial stage of digital transformation, the government assumes a leading role by implementing high-subsidy policies to encourage participation from manufacturers, financial institutions, and technology platforms. As the transformation progresses into a stable promotion phase, the government gradually reduces subsidies to a normal level and increasingly relies on market mechanisms to foster active engagement. Both models represent ideal scenarios for the digital transformation of high-end equipment. Finally, this paper offers relevant policy recommendations aimed at enhancing policy guidance, stimulating the motivation of market entities, and improving the benefit linkage mechanism among all four stakeholders. Full article

In the context of the dual-carbon goals and the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, stimulating innovation motivation within environmental protection enterprises holds significant strategic importance for achieving long-term sustainability. Drawing on institutional theory and signaling theory, this study examines how government subsidies influence the sustainable innovation performance in China’s environmental protection industry and investigates the boundary conditions and mechanisms of this relationship from a socio-economic and integrated policy perspective. Using a sample of 121 listed environmental protection enterprises in China from 2016 to 2025, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of government subsidies on both the quantity and quality of innovation output. It innovatively incorporates the market-driven factor of public environmental attention into the analytical framework to test its moderating effect and examines the mediating role of corporate social responsibility. The findings indicate that government subsidies significantly enhance both the quantity and quality of innovation output from environmental protection enterprises, thereby contributing to their sustainability transition. Public environmental attention positively moderates the innovation-incentivizing effect of government subsidies, with a stronger moderating effect on innovation quality than on quantity. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the incentive effect of government subsidies on innovation quantity is significant only in the eastern and western regions of China, while the effect on innovation quality is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and the western region, offering insights for region-specific and ownership-specific sustainable policy designs. Mechanism analysis indicates that government subsidies promote innovation performance by encouraging firms to fulfill corporate social responsibilities, with CSR serving as a partial mediator. These findings extend institutional and signaling theories to the context of environmental protection enterprises and provide a framework for quantifying and monitoring the effectiveness of sustainability policies. Based on the conclusions, relevant policy optimization suggestions are proposed to align industrial innovation with the principles of sustainable development. Full article

As climate conditions become increasingly extreme, greater emphasis should be placed on environmental considerations in outward investment to achieve sustainable green development for Chinese enterprises. Therefore, based on panel data of Chinese listed enterprises from 2008 to 2023, this study examines the impact of Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) and climate policy uncertainty (CPU) on corporate green total factor productivity (GTFP). The findings indicate that OFDI significantly enhances GTFP, but CPU weakens this positive effect. Mechanism analysis reveals that OFDI improves corporate GTFP through promoting green management innovation, deepening digital transformation, and increasing green investment, while CPU exerts negative effects by undermining these mechanisms. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of OFDI is more pronounced for enterprises in eastern regions, non-heavy-pollution enterprises, and low-carbon-intensity enterprises. Furthermore, spillover effect analysis demonstrates that OFDI’s impact on corporate GTFP exhibits significant spatial boundary characteristics and time-varying evolutionary patterns. Finally, external incentives (government environmental subsidies) and internal drivers (climate risk) can hedge against the negative effects of the interaction between CPU and OFDI. Full article

Market-based environmental regulations are increasingly vital for driving green transitions. As a major construction economy and the world’s leading carbon emitter, China launched its Carbon Emission Trading System (CETS) to advance dual-carbon goals and pilot decarbonization in high-emission sectors. Using 2009–2021 data on A-share listed construction enterprises, this study employs a propensity score matching difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) approach to assess CETS’ impact on corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Results show that CETS significantly improves construction enterprises’ ESG performance. Mechanism analysis identifies green technology innovation as a key transmission channel, with government subsidies positively moderating this effect. Heterogeneity analyses reveal stronger policy effects among state-owned enterprises and firms in eastern regions. These findings remain robust under alternative specifications, matching methods, and higher-order fixed effects. This study offers micro-level evidence on how market-based carbon regulations shape corporate sustainability through ESG, informing China’s carbon market refinement and global market-driven decarbonization efforts. Full article

Mixed-ownership state-owned enterprises (SOEs) make strategic choices within a governance system shaped by competing shareholders, resource dependence, and institutional legitimacy. Drawing on an attention-based explanation, we argue that relative ownership balance is associated with digitalization–strategic orientation in mixed-ownership SOEs. We further argue that this association depends on system conditions, particularly firms’ dependence on state-linked resources and the broader legitimacy of digitalization in the institutional environment. Using panel data from Chinese listed manufacturing SOEs from 2009 to 2019, we find that greater equity balance is associated with stronger digitalization–strategic orientation. This association is strengthened when digitalization is more institutionally legitimate within the industry, whereas the evidence for the moderating role of subsidy is weaker and suggestive. This study contributes to research on minority shareholder influence, offers evidence consistent with an attention-based explanation of strategic prioritization, and shows that digitalization in SOEs is shaped not only by capabilities, incentives, or external pressure, but also by governance contestation within a broader institutional environment. Full article

Indigenous communities in northern Canada experience severe household food insecurity rates ranging from 21.8% to 70%. However, the relationship between national-level economic and environmental indicators and Indigenous Community Well-being (ICWB) remains inadequately understood. This study examines national-level correlates of ICWB from 1991 to 2021, analyzing relationships between ICWB scores and agricultural production volumes (canola, corn, wheat, soybeans), their commodity prices, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a particular focus on the role of traditional food systems. The study uses data from the Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, and Environment Canada, supplemented by secondary literature on Indigenous traditional food systems. Three documented mechanisms provide a framework for interpreting how national indicators may affect northern communities: commodity price transmission through integrated markets, federal policy responses calibrated to national economic data, and supply chain dependencies linking southern production to northern availability. Correlation analysis reveals significant positive associations between ICWB and production volumes of canola, corn, and soybeans, as well as the prices of wheat, corn, canola, and soybeans. Regression analysis that accounts for temporal trends reveals that soybean and canola prices are negatively associated with ICWB, indicating that increasing prices may reduce community well-being, potentially reflecting increased economic pressure or reduced affordability. GHG emissions correlate positively with ICWB, likely reflecting confounding by economic development rather than direct environmental benefits. These national-level correlates have potential implications for northern Indigenous food security and well-being through recognized transmission mechanisms. The paradoxical positive correlation between rising commodity prices and ICWB is consistent with an adaptive response: as market food costs increase, communities may strengthen traditional food harvesting and local production, though higher equipment and resource prices may constrain these efforts, making food sovereignty enhancement a complex challenge. Findings suggest that northern communities participate in national economic systems through price, policy, and supply chain pathways, but may yet retain adaptive capacity through traditional food systems if persistent multi-stage supports are provided. Policy implications include indexing northern food subsidies to commodity price volatility, prioritizing funding for Indigenous-led food sovereignty initiatives that integrate traditional knowledge with modern techniques, and investing in infrastructure to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities. Future research should examine community-specific responses to national economic patterns and identify local factors that strengthen nature-led traditional food systems in northern Indigenous contexts. Full article

The New Energy Industry (NEI) is a strategic sector for harmonizing the energy-economy-environment nexus, yet it faces challenges from high technological complexity and industrial fragmentation. DIT enables enterprises to transition from passive response to proactive implementation of systematic adjustments. This study explores how Digital Intelligence Technology (DIT) drives integrated innovation within the sector. Utilizing a panel dataset of 750 listed firms from 2007 to 2023, we examine the influence of DIT through mediation, threshold, and moderation models. Our findings indicate that DIT significantly facilitates integrated innovation by expanding corporate capabilities and reducing information asymmetries. This impact is primarily contingent upon R&D intensity and government subsidies. Notably, R&D intensity exhibits a triple-threshold effect (3.82%, 7.47%, and 7.88%); specifically, once R&D investment surpasses 7.88%, DIT generates a multiplier effect with internal capabilities, substantially accelerating the integration of internal and external innovation elements. Furthermore, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) demonstrate superior efficiency in leveraging DIT for innovative outcomes compared to non-SOEs, bolstered by policy advantages. Government subsidies further mitigate resource constraints and enhance risk-bearing capacity. These results provide critical strategic insights for NEI to refine R&D management and bolster human capital, ultimately helping the industry achieve a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability. Full article

Shore-side electricity (SSE) is an effective approach to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutants from at-berth ships. Governments are using subsidies to incentivize ports and vessels to use SSE. However, its utilization remains limited. This paper targets the problem of government subsidy optimization considering games between the government and ports. A two-stage tripartite game model and four subsidy scenarios are proposed to investigate the interactions between the government and two ports. The results show that the choice of subsidy recipients does not affect the overall effectiveness of the subsidies. The optimal unit subsidy should be linked to the environmental benefits of GHG reduction, electricity prices, and fuel oil prices. Port competition can further enhance SSE utilization and environmental performance. Thus, policies should encourage such competition. Furthermore, analysis indicates that the cost of enhancing SSE quality is a key factor affecting SSE performance. Based on the analytical findings, this study offers policy recommendations for designing effective subsidy schemes. Full article

Value co-creation among diverse actors in digital innovation ecosystems (DIEs) exhibits characteristics of high complexity and dynamic evolution. Grounded in the Quadruple Helix Theory, this study develops a conceptual model that interlinks “supervisory guides, knowledge providers, technology transformers, and user demand parties.” This model is defined by organizational oversight as its nexus, knowledge and technology as its foundation, outcome transformation as its core, and user needs as its orientation. Building upon this conceptual foundation, we establish a four-party evolutionary game model involving “innovation regulators (government), innovation producers (academic/research institutions), innovation decomposers (enterprises), and innovation consumers (users).” This analytical framework is then applied to systematically investigate the dynamic evolutionary mechanisms and collaborative pathways for value co-creation in DIEs. We construct the payoff matrix and replicator dynamics to derive the system’s Evolutionarily Stable Strategies (ESSs). Numerical simulations via MATLAB R2023b identify the stability conditions for each party’s strategic choices and unravel the influence mechanisms of key parameters. The results demonstrate nine distinct ESSs, categorized into three types: low-level stability, regulation-dominated transitional stability, and high-level cooperative stability. While the agents’ initial strategies do not alter the system’s final equilibrium state, they significantly impact the speed of evolutionary convergence. Critical factors—including regulators’ intervention costs, subsidy and penalty mechanisms, producers’ and decomposers’ cooperation and default costs, and consumer feedback behaviors—collectively drive the system toward the ideal (1, 1, 1, 1) equilibrium. Theoretically, this study enriches the perspective on multi-agent collaboration in value co-creation by introducing a dynamic quantitative analytical framework, thereby addressing a notable gap in the literature. Practically, it provides actionable insights for mechanism design and a solid foundation for policy optimization, aiming to foster a synergistic governance system that integrates “regulatory guidance, market incentives, and social feedback.” Full article

This study analyzes the economic viability of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) in medium-sized cities with low electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Based on EVCS usage patterns from both Europe and the USA, and validating EV energy consumption with a microscopic model of roads and traffic through the Eclipse SUMO simulator, the analysis provides a comprehensive assessment. Also, level 2 and level 3 (DC fast) charging stations are considered with installation and operation costs. Finally, a photovoltaic (PV) system and governmental subsidies are considered as support. The Pasto city, Colombia, is the case study due to its medium-sized city characteristics in an emerging economy country, where EV penetration is concentrated in the capital and large cities, with a national EV penetration rate of less than 1%. Scenarios are developed with varying annual EV penetration rates and different financial discount rates. The results suggest that, without significant increases in EV adoption, government subsidies, and PV generation, EVCSs are not economically viable in most of the analyzed scenarios. The study concludes that the financial sustainability of these projects is heavily reliant on supportive public policies that incentivize infrastructure deployment, particularly in medium-sized cities. Full article

This study presents a techno-economic analysis of deploying distributed energy resources (DERs), specifically photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and electric vehicles (EVs), in apartment buildings configured as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). Utilizing cooperative game theory, the research models strategic collaboration between apartment residents (demand side) and utility operators (plant side) to maximize energy efficiency and economic returns. The VPP structure is analyzed over a 15-year life cycle, incorporating net present value (NPV), payback period (PBP), and government subsidy impacts. A cooperative game framework is applied using the Shapley value to ensure fair profit allocation based on each party’s contribution. Results indicate improved self-sufficiency, peak load reduction, and mutual financial benefits. Scenario analyses show that government subsidies to the plant side significantly increase the likelihood of successful cooperation, while declining DER costs enhance the VPP’s economic viability. The findings demonstrate that apartments configured as VPPs achieve strong economic viability (39% ROI, 10.5-year payback) and operational performance (70% self-sufficiency, 40% peak reduction) when grid arbitrage is enabled and moderate government subsidies (35% PV, 45% BESS) are provided. This research provides a replicable model for urban energy planning and policy development, promoting sustainable energy transitions through shared DER infrastructure and cooperative stakeholder engagement. Full article

Cash dividends, as a tangible form of monetary distribution, serve as a fundamental mechanism for remunerating investors for their capital commitments. Beyond manifesting a firm’s commitment to fulfilling its social responsibilities toward shareholders, such distributions potentially shape corporate deliberations regarding accountability toward a broader spectrum of stakeholders. Drawing on behavioral explanations of corporate decision-making, this study examines the association between cash dividend payouts and environmental protection tax burdens among Chinese A-share listed companies from 2018 to 2023. The empirical results indicate a significant and robust negative association between corporate cash dividend payouts and environmental protection tax burdens. Mechanism analysis suggests that this cross-domain behavioral consistency is primarily channeled through the proactive fulfillment of corporate environmental responsibilities. Further inquiry reveals that both government environmental subsidies and media coverage exert positive moderating effects on this relationship. Notably, this observed negative association is particularly pronounced in firms characterized by lower executive environmental awareness, those operating in regions with lenient environmental regulations, companies navigating economic downturns, and those situated within low-pollution industries. This research provides novel evidence for the “governance complementarity” hypothesis, suggesting that financial accountability and environmental stewardship are mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive. Furthermore, it offers a pioneering micro-behavioral perspective on how firms in emerging economies can harmonize shareholder wealth distribution with green transition objectives. Full article

Against the backdrop of deepening coordinated policy governance, the systemic synergy between digitalization and green transformation policies and their impact on corporate ESG performance has become a key issue requiring urgent exploration. Unlike existing studies that focus on the effects of individual policies, this paper adopts a policy system synergy framework to systematically investigate the impact of the coordinated implementation of big data administrative reform and low-carbon city pilot policies on corporate ESG performance. Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2022, this study applies a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method for empirical analysis. The findings show that the systemic synergy between digital and green policies significantly enhances corporate ESG performance, with this promoting effect substantially stronger than that of single pilot policies. Further causal re-identification using a double machine learning (DML) approach verifies the robustness of the baseline conclusion. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the synergistic effect of digital and green policies is more pronounced in firms with higher levels of digital transformation, greater patient capital, and heavier tax burdens. Mechanism tests reveal that digital–green policy synergy improves ESG performance by enhancing external supervision from government, society, and the market, increasing green government subsidies, and incentivizing firms to engage in green innovation. At the same time, policy system synergy also reduces firms’ perceived uncertainty regarding economic policies and stabilizes their expectations, further enhancing ESG performance. This paper extends the research on the determinants of corporate ESG performance from the perspective of system synergy governance, providing new empirical evidence for understanding the interaction mechanisms between digital governance and green transformation policies. Full article

As a core decarbonization technology, the scaling up of Near-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) technologies under the “dual carbon” goal necessitates collaboration among governments, technology suppliers, and construction enterprises. However, high research and development (R&D) costs coupled with low market acceptance impede widespread adoption. This study develops a tripartite evolutionary game model to analyze strategic interactions among stakeholders. Using MATLAB 2022B simulations, we simulate the strategy sets for the government (subsidize/no subsidy), suppliers (R&D/no R&D), and enterprises (procure/no purchase). The results identify two Evolutionary Stable Strategies (ESS): a market-driven ESS (0, 1, 1) emerges when the green premium (Pm) exceeds the incremental cost (Cb); while a policy-driven ESS (1, 1, 1) requires government subsidies (S) to offset R&D gaps, specifically when $S>Cr/\alpha -Pmz$. These findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding the synergistic mechanisms underlying NZEB adoption and highlight the dynamic interplay between policy incentives and market forces. Full article