The demand for improving health status of Chinese residents is growing with the rapid economic development. Happiness, which could be improved by some brief, self-administered, and cost-effective interventions, is reported to be associated with mortality, longevity, and self-rated health. Therefore, it is essential to assess the effect of happiness on health in China. Using data from the Chinese General Social Survey 2017, the present study explored the effect of happiness on health among Chinese residents after controlling for demographic variables, socioeconomic factors, social relationships, locations, and insurance plan. The happiness effect across subsamples by age and resident type and the mediator role of happiness were also evaluated. Based on an ordered probit regression model, we found that the effect of happiness on health was significantly positive in full sample and all subsamples. Using a structural equation model, we demonstrated that happiness could partially mediate the relationship between socioeconomic factors, social relationships factors, and health. Our data supplement the existing literature on the relationship between happiness and health and provide evidence for policymakers and stakeholders focusing on happiness as a health strategy to improve overall societal wellbeing.

Purpose: The paper aims to examine the digital economy's influence on China's regional innovation and development. It focuses on direct effects and spatial spillover across regions, and the mediating role of human capital. This analysis is vital for policy and strategic planning in the digital era. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2004–2019) and uses the entropy method to quantify the digital economy's development. It investigates its impact on regional innovation using a dynamic spatial Durbin model (SDM) and mediation effect model, assessing direct effects, spatial spillover and human capital's mediating role. Various control variables are included for comprehensive analysis. Findings: Findings show the digital economy significantly boosts regional innovation, acting as a growth driver. However, impacts vary regionally, with the central region gaining more than the eastern and western areas. Spatial spillover effects are mixed, showing negative short-term and positive long-term impacts under different weight matrices. Human capital is crucial for fostering innovation through the digital economy. Originality/value: The paper offers unique insights into the spatial dynamics of the digital economy's impact on regional innovation in China. It advances understanding of the digital economy's role in regional development using innovative methods like the entropy method and dynamic SDM. Highlighting human capital as a key mediating factor enriches discussions on digital economy strategies for regional innovation.

Herd behavior means a mode of behavior will be infected among the individuals in a group, and its existence and influence in specific financial market are uncertain. The paper utilizes the logistic model to test the existence and influence of herd behavior of borrowers in Chinese microcredit market. We find that (1) herd behavior exists in Chinese microcredit market, (2) the two most important factors affecting the default of microcredit resulted from herd behavior are the nature of microcredit institutions and the education level of borrowers, and (3) herd behavior will increase the possibility of default, but it is relatively small.

Achieving the simultaneous improvement of environmental quality and export quality represents a critical breakthrough for countries pursuing high-quality economic development. Based on panel data for 67 countries over the period 1995–2020, this study investigates the impact of environmental regulation on export sophistication within the context of globalized production. First, this paper constructs an index of export sophistication from a global perspective and employs a Panel Smooth Transition Regression model to preliminarily identify a single-threshold effect of environmental regulation on export sophistication. On this basis, a baseline regression model incorporating the quadratic term of environmental regulation is established, and a series of robustness checks and heterogeneity analyses are conducted. The results indicate that, in both developed and developing countries, environmental regulation exhibits a significant “U-shaped” effect on export sophistication, although notable country heterogeneity exists. Compared with developed countries, developing countries display a higher turning point and stronger policy effects, suggesting that their micro-level agents possess greater tolerance for environmental regulation and that marginal changes in regulatory intensity exert a more pronounced influence on export sophistication. Furthermore, inspired by the theory of ecological fallacy, this study does not confine itself to the conventional dichotomy between developed and developing countries. Instead, it classifies countries according to their levels of export sophistication and conducts quantile regression analysis accordingly. The findings reveal that the impact of environmental regulation becomes increasingly significant and stable as the level of export sophistication rises. Only when technological capability reaches a certain threshold can environmental regulation exert a positive incentive effect; when technological levels are too low, they are insufficient to support the upward trend of the “U-shaped” relationship.

The coordinated development of ecological sustainability and high-quality economic growth has long been a central concern for both academia and governments worldwide. With the deepening of economic globalization, economic and trade interactions as well as policy interdependence among countries have become increasingly close. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate cross-country policy interactions into the analytical framework examining the impact of environmental regulation on export technological complexity. Using panel data for 67 countries from 1995 to 2020, this study employs a Spatial Durbin Model to investigate the spatial spillover effects of environmental regulation on export technological complexity from the perspective of policy externalities. The results indicate that (1) regardless of whether countries are developed or developing, environmental regulation exhibits a significant “U-shaped” direct effect on domestic export technological complexity; (2) from the perspective of cross-border spillover effects, the impact of environmental regulation on other countries’ export technological complexity differs significantly across spatial weight matrices: it displays a “U-shaped” pattern under the geographical distance weight matrix, but an inverted “U-shaped” pattern under both the economic distance weight matrix and the nested spatial weight matrix. (3) Further analysis reveals that, compared with geographical factors, economic linkages possess stronger influence and explanatory power in the spatial spillover effects of environmental regulation. In other words, the process of global sustainable development relies more heavily on economic networks and industrial interconnections than on geographical proximity alone. (4) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the turning points of both the direct and indirect effects are generally higher for developing countries than for developed countries. This suggests that developing countries may have greater room for environmental policy adjustment during the process of export technology upgrading, while simultaneously facing a longer path toward green technological transformation. In light of these foregoing results, this study develops a series of targeted policy recommendations.