Search Results (345)

The role of externalities generated by enterprise digital transformation in advancing SDGs 8 and 9 has been largely overlooked in existing research. Taking Lighthouse Factory certification (LFC) as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper uses China’s county-level panel data from 2016 to 2023 and adopts the DID model to investigate the impact of leading enterprises’ digital transformation on regional digital entrepreneurship (RDE). The findings show that LFC promotes RDE by facilitating digital technology transfer, deepening digital technology cooperation, accelerating digital knowledge accumulation, and enhancing local digital industrial competitiveness. Moreover, this effect is more pronounced in regions with stricter environmental regulations and a stronger green transformation climate, yet is less constrained by local digital infrastructure. Interestingly, LFC exerts positive spillover effects on surrounding cities within 50–150 km and those beyond 250 km, whereas it exerts a significant siphon effect on cities within 50 km. Furthermore, LFC generates network spillovers among economically connected cities through regional digital technology transfer and cooperation networks. This paper provides empirical evidence for leveraging the demonstration effect of leading enterprises to promote the coordinated implementation of SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 10, SDG 12 and SDG 13. Full article

Universities serve as catalysts for knowledge creation across territories, promoting innovation and economic development through different channels. This paper investigates the role of university graduates as a location determinant of new green-tech-based firms (NGTBFs) across Italian NUTS-3 regions over the period 2011–2017. We examine whether universities, as providers of high-skilled human capital, affect the spatial distribution of new green ventures. Adopting a patent-based definition of NGTBFs and an econometric framework accounting for regional heterogeneity, we analyse the impact of university graduates on green firm creation. The results show that higher education fosters green entrepreneurship primarily through the channel of producing doctoral and STEM-oriented graduates, who serve as key drivers of NGTBF formation. Interestingly, the analysis reveals marked spatial heterogeneity across Italy’s North–South divide, with stronger associations of PhD and STEM graduates in Southern regions, where specialised human capital appears to compensate for weaker innovation systems. These findings deliver clear policy implications, suggesting that strategies aimed at promoting green entrepreneurship should prioritise advanced, STEM-oriented human capital and explicitly account for regional contexts, rather than relying on uniform higher education expansion approaches. Full article

There is renewed interest in local sourcing, regional supply chains, and the rebuilding of fiber-to-fashion systems. However, limited attention has been paid to the upstream role of fiber farmers and the infrastructure that enables or constrains regional textile economies. This study investigates the opportunities and challenges of fiber farming in West Virginia and explores the motivations that drive participation in this sector. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 fiber farmers across West Virginia. The findings revealed five interconnected themes: heterogeneous actants, the translation of wool, regional network breakdown, festivals and social media as network hubs, and institutional gaps and network fragility. The results indicate that fiber farming persists through strong community networks, adaptive entrepreneurial strategies, and deep attachments to place. However, its economic viability is constrained by declining processing infrastructure, labor shortages, weakened institutional support, and fragmented supply chains. These challenges also have important sustainability implications. Most notably, wool is often discarded because processing and transportation costs exceed its market value, resulting in the waste of a renewable and biodegradable fiber that could otherwise remain in productive use. This study contributes to the literature on local sourcing, rural entrepreneurship, and sustainable and circular economies by highlighting the relational infrastructures required to rebuild regionally embedded textile systems in Appalachia and beyond. Full article

Comprehensive utilization of crop straw (CUCS) is a critical pathway toward sustainable agricultural development, synergizing food security and carbon neutrality goals. However, there remains a lack of systematic empirical evidence regarding its macro-level productivity associations and the conditions under which they materialize. Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2011 to 2023, this paper takes the CUCS pilot policy launched in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment and employs the difference-in-differences (DID) model to examine the association between CUCS and grain yield, along with its moderating factors and environmental co-benefits. This study yields four main findings. First, CUCS is associated with higher grain yield in pilot regions, and this finding remains robust after a series of endogeneity and robustness checks. Second, the positive association between CUCS and grain output appears to be moderated by fiscal support and innovation–entrepreneurship. The relationship is more pronounced in regions with higher fiscal expenditures on agriculture and environmental protection, as well as more agricultural patents and agricultural enterprises. Third, heterogeneity analysis suggests that the CUCS–grain output association tends to be stronger in regions with richer groundwater resources and more agricultural meteorological observation stations. Fourth, extended analysis indicates that CUCS is also associated with lower particulate matter and agricultural carbon emissions, a pattern consistent with synergistic environmental benefits. By integrating economic and environmental dimensions into a unified analytical framework, this study provides empirical evidence on the contribution of comprehensive straw utilization to grain output and highlights the enabling role of fiscal and innovation environments. These findings offer integrated evidence from China for the policy evaluation of climate-smart agriculture and contribute to the broader sustainable development agenda. Full article

Sustainable regional development requires understanding how entrepreneurship and unemployment co-evolve. This study investigates this relationship across Türkiye’s 26 Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 regions over the 2007–2024 period, testing the Schumpeter (pull) and Refugee (push) effects with controls for regional economic and financial determinants. Using the Dynamic Common Correlated Effects estimator, which accounts for cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity across regions, the analysis provides evidence supporting both effects, while revealing that neither effect emerges instantaneously. The Schumpeter effect operates with an approximately one-year lag, reflecting the time new ventures require to complete organizational formation and generate net labor demand, with a creative destruction dynamic appearing from the second year onward. The Refugee effect materializes within one to two years, as unemployed individuals exhaust formal job search alternatives before turning to necessity entrepreneurship. Critically, the findings identify banking sector intermediation efficiency, rather than aggregate credit volume, as a more consistent financial channel for sustainable labor market outcomes, and document a pattern consistent with jobless growth, in which regional output expansion has not systematically translated into unemployment reduction. These results call for employment- and entrepreneurship-linked policy instruments that are timed to the lag structure of both effects and targeted at transforming necessity-driven activities into sustainable, high-value-added structures, rather than merely incentivizing firm entry. Aligning regional financial intermediation with employment creation can foster long-term socio-economic sustainability and promote sustainable regional development. Full article

With the continuous development of rural digitalization, digital literacy has gradually become an important factor affecting farmers’ entrepreneurial behavior. Based on microdata from the China Family Tracking Survey (CFPS) from 2014 to 2022, this paper systematically evaluates the influence and mechanisms of digital literacy on farmers’ entrepreneurial behavior. This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation system of digital literacy in three dimensions: digital equipment operation literacy, digital technology application literacy, and digital knowledge learning literacy. The entropy weight method is used to determine the index weight, and kernel density estimation and the Moran index method are used to analyze the temporal evolution and spatial agglomeration characteristics of digital literacy. The results show the following: (1) From 2014 to 2022, the overall level of farmers’ digital literacy in China improved significantly, but regional differences remained evident. (2) Digital literacy significantly promotes farmers’ entrepreneurial behavior, both directly and indirectly by alleviating financing constraints and enhancing social capital, while policy accessibility further strengthens this positive relationship. (3) The promotion effect of digital literacy is more significant among young people and among farmers with higher levels of education and better health. The research conclusions enrich the theoretical foundations of the digital economy and rural entrepreneurship, and provide a policy reference for promoting high-quality rural development and enhancing farmers’ entrepreneurial capacity. This study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing digital literacy as a multidimensional form of human capital and empirically demonstrating its effects on rural entrepreneurial behavior and the mechanisms underlying these effects. The findings enrich the theoretical understanding of the digital economy and rural entrepreneurship, and provide policy implications for promoting high-quality rural development and strengthening farmers’ entrepreneurial capacity. Full article

This article examines the emergence of entrepreneurial universities within China’s innovation-driven development agenda, with Shenzhen used as a regional case through which to analyse this process. Drawing on the Triple Helix literature and its later Quadruple and Quintuple Helix extensions, this study uses a qualitative case-study design that combines policy and archival analysis, descriptive questionnaire evidence from 132 respondents, and 42 semi-structured interviews with university, industry, government and venture-capital actors. The analysis shows how Shenzhen’s innovation capacity has been built through the interaction of firm-led technological upgrading, enabling municipal governance and a gradual repositioning of universities. Rather than following the university-centred pattern often associated with mature Western innovation systems, Shenzhen displays a hybrid Helix configuration in which universities acquire entrepreneurial functions through talent provision, external partnerships, practice-oriented knowledge exchange and organisational adaptation. This article therefore contributes to debates on entrepreneurial universities by explaining how such institutions can develop in late-developing, industry-led regions where conventional research infrastructure is initially limited. It also offers policy implications for strengthening sustainable university entrepreneurship, cross-sector coordination and regional innovation resilience in emerging economies. Full article

The contemporary global landscape is undergoing a profound reconfiguration driven by the structural synergy between digital transformation and long-term sustainability goals. Central to this evolution is the “twin transition”, where the digital economy serves as a critical catalyst for environmental responsibility and economic resilience. This research investigates the nexus between innovative entrepreneurship and sustainable growth across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with a specific emphasis on Romania’s development trajectory during the 2020–2024 period. By utilising a multi-dimensional statistical analysis of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), Global Innovation Index (GII), and European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), the study evaluates how digital maturity influences innovation performance. The findings underscore that fostering sustainable entrepreneurship requires the cultivation of dynamic capabilities and a robust digital infrastructure to support an inclusive, knowledge-driven economy. While Romania exhibits a steady upward trend in its digital indicators, a significant performance gap persists compared to regional leaders such as Poland and Hungary. This discrepancy is largely attributed to structural bottlenecks in digital human capital and a deficit in local research and development investment. Ultimately, the study proposes a strategic roadmap focused on green-tech incentives and interdisciplinary educational ecosystems to bridge existing gaps and unlock Romania’s innovation potential within the framework of the European digital decade. Full article

With the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies, new quality productive forces (NQPF) have emerged as a critical driver of the sustainable development of culture–tourism integration (SDCTI). Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces spanning 2011–2023, this study constructs composite indices of NQPF and SDCTI based on the entropy method and the coupling coordination model, and empirically examines the impact and underlying mechanisms of NQPF on SDCTI. The results indicate that NQPF significantly promote SDCTI. Mechanism analysis shows that NQPF enhance SDCTI primarily by improving innovation capacity and stimulating entrepreneurial activity, with the mediating effect of entrepreneurship being more pronounced. In addition, NQPF contribute to SDCTI by alleviating labor misallocation, whereas the mediating effect of capital misallocation is not statistically significant. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the positive impact of NQPF is stronger in regions with higher levels of artificial intelligence development, lower tourism resource endowments, and weaker transportation infrastructure, highlighting both technological synergy and resource substitution effects. These findings remain robust after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. Based on these findings, this study highlights the importance of promoting NQPF, strengthening innovation-oriented actors and technological applications, and optimizing labor allocation to fully unleash their enabling role in advancing SDCTI. Full article

With the deepening construction of ecological civilization, the realization of ecological product value, referring to the value derived from ecosystems’ material goods, regulation, support, and cultural services, has become a strategic key point for national sustainable development. Data factors, distinguished from digital technologies as the actual resources used in production, exchange, and consumption, are becoming increasingly important as a new catalyst for empowering the realization of ecological product value. Drawing on panel data spanning 2011 to 2023 across China’s 31 provinces, this research employs the entropy weight method to construct evaluation indices for both the development of data factors and the realization of ecological product value, deriving weights from the data’s intrinsic variability. The effect of data factors on the realization of ecological product value is examined using a two-way fixed effects framework. Our outcomes are presented below. First, data factors can significantly promote the realization of ecological product value, and this conclusion is supported by a series of robustness checks and endogeneity treatments. Second, the mechanism analysis reveals that data factors empower the realization of ecological product value through new quality productive forces, energy consumption intensity, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Third, results from the threshold model suggest that the promoting effect of data factors on the realization of ecological product value is subject to a threshold constraint, characterized by diminishing marginal returns beyond this point. Fourth, regarding regional disparities, the results indicate that data factors primarily drive ecological product value realization in the central region, as it is at a critical stage of digital transformation, with a secondary effect in the east, while their influence in the western region remains insignificant. These findings provide important guidance for integrating data factors and ecological resources to achieve sustainable development. Full article

Innovation system decision-making is a core component in promoting incentives and conditions necessary for the emergence of innovation. It also plays a critical role in guiding policy and modeling strategies that aim to promote science, technology, and entrepreneurship at national, regional, and local levels. Decision-makers often select innovation system models that do not align with contextual scope, data accessibility, or institutional conditions, undermining their implementation. The lack of alignment between innovation system model assumptions and contextual realities undermines analysis and policy design, particularly when trying to implement a regional model on a national scale without any sort of adaptation. This study presents a framework that aligns innovation system models to specific contexts by providing a decision-making system based on structural analysis. Using a comprehensive collection of relevant previous studies related to the theoretical evolution of innovation system models, this research provides insights regarding the most used types and techniques to compare innovation systems comprising national and regional ISs, helix models, and innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. For each model, explanatory potential via structural analysis is operationalized through five indicators derived from multilevel graphs: geopolitical scope, number of actors, vertical and horizontal density, and Shannon’s entropy. These indicators are then systematized into dimensions comprising two feasibility filters and three mechanism-related dimensions, forming the basis for a minimum viable innovation system model selection heuristic. This structural analysis shows that ecosystem lenses capture distributive and adaptive interaction structures; helix models emphasize coordination and governance; and national or regional innovation systems underscore policy reach and institutional boundaries. The results provide a numerical analysis of three different contexts—a national mission, a city entrepreneurship program, and a regional coordination upgrading effort—highlighting areas for improvement in planning, project implementation, and public policy design. Full article

Urban shrinkage has become a critical constraint on China’s pursuit of high-quality economic development. As a core driver of new-quality productive forces, digital technological innovation warrants systematic examination for its role in mitigating urban shrinkage. Given the current lack of research on multidimensional measures of urban shrinkage and the mechanisms through which digital technologies influence this phenomenon, this study utilizes panel data from 269 prefecture-level and higher cities in China from 2014 to 2022. By employing two-way fixed-effects models, mediation models, and threshold regression models, the study systematically examines the impact, mechanisms, and nonlinear characteristics of digital technology innovation on urban shrinkage. The empirical results demonstrate that digital technological innovation has a significant mitigating effect on urban shrinkage; this conclusion holds even after conducting a series of robustness tests, including replacing the core explanatory variable, accounting for lag effects, using SYS-GMM estimation, and adjusting the sample range. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the mitigating effect is more pronounced in shrinking cities, peripheral cities, resource-based cities, and cities with lower educational attainment. Mechanism analysis reveals that agricultural-related innovation acts as a mediating channel, whereas rural entrepreneurship exhibits a “partial masking effect” in the relationship between digital technological innovation and urban shrinkage. Moderation analysis further shows that higher levels of ecological environmental resilience amplify the inhibitory effect of digital technological innovation. Finally, threshold regression results identify a significant double-threshold effect, with the mitigating impact of digital technological innovation emerging only after exceeding the first threshold value of 5.690. Based on these findings, this study recommends implementing differentiated digital-technology-driven innovation strategies, with agriculture-related innovation serving as a strategic entry point to stimulate regional innovation and entrepreneurial vitality. At the same time, strengthening ecological resilience should be promoted to support coordinated green and digital transformation. These findings provide empirical evidence for the formulation of differentiated urban digital transformation policies aimed at mitigating urban shrinkage. Full article

Digital Twin (DT) technologies are widely discussed in the context of Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing; however, their role in supporting the sustainability and survival of academic spin-offs remains underexplored. This paper argues that, particularly in peripheral and resource-constrained innovation ecosystems, Digital Twins should be understood not merely as optional technological enhancements but as strategic capabilities that support sustainable technology commercialization in early-stage, research-driven ventures. Building on literature on academic entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, digital innovation, and regional innovation systems, the study develops a conceptual framework that positions Digital Twins as entrepreneurial infrastructures linking scientific outputs to market readiness through three interrelated mechanisms: the reduction in technological uncertainty, the acceleration of market validation, and the enhancement of organizational learning and strategic adaptability. Extending beyond conceptual development, the paper proposes a staged Digital Twin adoption roadmap aligned with Technology Readiness Levels, offering a practical pathway for integrating DT capabilities across venture maturation phases while strengthening investor readiness and commercialization outcomes. The analysis further connects DT-enabled experimentation with sustainability objectives by demonstrating how virtual testing, digital validation, and data-driven learning support capital-efficient, resource-conscious, and resilient innovation processes. By integrating theoretical insights with operational guidance, this conceptual study contributes to research on technology transfer, deep-tech entrepreneurship, and sustainability-oriented innovation by proposing a framework that may guide future empirical investigations of Digital Twin adoption in academic spin-offs. The framework also offers actionable implications for spin-off founders, university technology transfer offices, and policymakers seeking to foster resilient and inclusive innovation ecosystems. Full article

Fiscal and tax new media has emerged as a new channel for government-enterprise engagement, linking policy communication with firms’ sustainability-oriented decisions. This study hand-collects the launch status of official microblog accounts for finance and taxation departments in China’s prefecture-level cities. This paper combines these data with firm-level observations on China’s green enterprises from 2008 to 2022, and clearly defines the sample of green enterprises. Defining the sustainable spirit among green entrepreneurs from the perspective of entrepreneurship and innovation. This is to estimate how government communication and policy signaling shape firms’ sustainability-oriented behavior. Treating the introduction of official fiscal and tax new media as a quasi-natural experiment, we apply a staggered difference-in-differences design to identify its effect on green entrepreneurs’ sustainable spirit. The study finds that launching official fiscal and tax new media significantly stimulates the sustainable spirit of green entrepreneurs. Mechanism tests suggest that the effect operates through improvements in information infrastructure and governance capacity, including higher internet penetration, reduced fiscal and tax irregularities, and stronger digital governance. Particularly in regions with weaker government–business relations, more integrated administrative systems, lower fiscal pressure, and higher government subsidies, the promoting effect is more significant. Overall, the findings offer policy implications for strengthening the effectiveness of public digital communication and for fostering green entrepreneurs’ sustainable spirit. Full article

This research aims to record hotel owners’ perceptions as subjective measures of the degree of integration of local traditional cheese varieties in the hospitality sector. Within the context of cheese tourism, this specific type of alternative tourism is operationalized through B2B co-creation among tourism businesses and cheese factories, serving as a framework for perceived business development. Specifically, this study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the managerial views on the current state of cheese tourism in relation to the entrepreneurship strengthening, the opportunities, and challenges that could favor cooperation between the two sectors. Descriptive and inductive statistics were conducted, collecting primary data from hotels in the Peloponnese, Greece, which has a long tradition of cheese production. Regional tradition and star rating determine the integration of local cheese. While 4–5-star hotels leverage cheese heritage for differentiation and experiential services, lower-end hotels face cost and supply chain barriers, requiring supporting strategies and cross-sector partnerships. The study offers original knowledge for the development of specific strategic proposals for the use of cheese tourism through co-creation for business development of hotels. Future research is recommended to record the views of all stakeholders and correlate them with objective financial performance. Full article