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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (5): 161-171.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00090

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Impact of digital economy on the transformation and upgrading of industrial structure in the Yellow River Basin

Zi Su(), Deliang Zhou, Hao Li   

  1. School of Accounting,Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics,Lanzhou 730020,China
  • Received:2025-04-24 Revised:2025-06-12 Online:2025-09-20 Published:2025-09-27

Abstract:

This study explores the impact of the digital economy on the transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure in the Yellow River Basin. Using panel data from 118 prefecture-level cities in China's Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2022, we empirically examine the effects of the digital economy on the transformation and upgrading of the region’s industrial structure, based on an analysis of the spatial evolution characteristics of the digital economy. Our findings indicate that the digital economy exerts a significant positive impact on the overall transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure in the Yellow River Basin, particularly on industrial upgrading, thus contributing effectively to the region's industrial advancement. However, the digital economy does not show a significant effect on the rationalization of the industrial structure, nor does it significantly influence the structural transformation. The mediation effect analysis suggests that the digital economy promotes the overall upgrading of the industrial structure in the Yellow River Basin through the improvement of the consumption structure and the enhancement of technological innovation. The results of the moderation effect test reveal that environmental regulation negatively moderates the overall transformation and upgrading process of the digital economy and industrial structure. The heterogeneity analysis further demonstrates that the effect of the digital economy on the transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure is more pronounced in regions with advanced digital economic development. Finally, the economic consequence analysis reveals that the digital economy has significantly enhanced the green economic efficiency of the Yellow River Basin, following the transformation and upgrading of its industrial structure. These findings not only enrich the literature on the digital economy and its economic implications but also provide theoretical insights and policy recommendations for regional industrial transformation and high-quality development.

Key words: digital economy, Yellow River Basin, overall transformation and upgrading of industrial structure, advanced industrial structure, rationalization of industrial structure

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