Advancing the digital economy while curbing carbon emissions is essential for fostering high-quality economic growth. Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2011 to 2021, this study adopts an empirical model to investigate the direct influence of digital economic development on carbon emissions and utilizes both a mediating effects model and a moderating effects model to explore the transmission mechanism of green technological innovation and the moderating effect of R&D investment. The research results indicate that the following: (1) The digital economy contributes to carbon emissions reduction. (2) The analysis of heterogeneity demonstrates that the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions is pronounced in the eastern and central regions of China but is insignificant in the western provinces. Furthermore, the carbon mitigation effect of the digital economy is more potent in regions with high marketization compared to those with low marketization. (3) The mediation effect analysis shows that green technology innovation plays a transmitting role between the digital economy and carbon emissions reduction. (4) The moderating effect test reveals that R&D investment enhances the digital economy’s ability to reduce carbon emissions. The conclusions highlight the need to optimize digital economy development and strengthen green technology innovation to achieve carbon emissions reduction.

Recent studies highlighted the need for multi-perspective research on the internationalization and performance of emerging market multinational enterprises (EM-MNEs) and revealed why many EM-MNEs perform negatively when they respond to the host-country environment. Using a sample of listed Chinese manufacturing firms from 2003 to 2014, this study examines the relationship between entry mode choice, which is driven by different environmental response patterns, and firms’ innovation performance. We further analyze the moderating role of market selection on the relationship between host-country institutional factors and firms’ innovation performance. The results show that the international breadth of firms and the economic stability and investment protection of the host country significantly promote firms’ innovation performance. While the entry mode is unilaterally driven by the host-country response, early international experience and the international depth of firms have significant negative effects on firms’ innovation performance. The level of economic development in the invested area plays a moderating role in the relationship between the host-country institutional factors and firms’ innovation performance. Our findings enrich the literature on the relationship between internationalization and EM-MNE performance, and provide inspiring and straightforward empirical evidence.

From the perspectives of ownership dispersion degree after the entry of foreign shareholder and the foreign ownership participation level, respectively, this paper takes Chinese hybrid OFDI state-owned listed industrial companies from 2007 to 2019 as samples, using 3799 observations, to study the impact of foreign ownership on the innovation of OFDI SOEs. We find that compared to the ownership dispersion degree after the entry of foreign shareholder, the foreign ownership participation level plays a more active role in the innovation of OFDI SOE. This positive effect is stronger for non-state-holding enterprises and high-pollution industries. Further analysis reveals that the relationship between foreign ownership and the innovation of SOE is mediated and moderated by the host country’s innovation level and government innovation subsidies, respectively. In addition, in comparison with the ownership dispersion degree after the entry of foreign shareholders, the mediating effect of the host country’s innovation level and the moderating effects of government innovation subsidies are significantly enhanced by the foreign ownership participation level. These findings can promote the study of the relationship between mixed-ownership reform and the innovation of Chinese OFDI SOEs. By verifying the impact of foreign ownership on the effectiveness of OFDI SOE innovation, this paper provides a new perspective on the study of mixed-ownership reform. This paper aims to expand the research field on the relationship between mixed-ownership reform and OFDI SOE innovation, providing theoretical implications and facilitating the policy design of promoting SOE reverse technology spillovers through their governance structural reform.

Corporate digital intelligence transformation (DIT) has become a crucial factor influencing the carbon intensity (CI) of enterprises in the digital economy era. The purpose of this study is to examine how DIT affects CI and its underlying mechanisms. Using panel data from China’s listed manufacturing enterprises spanning from 2012 to 2023, this paper employs a fixed-effect model, an instrumental variable model, a moderation model and a stepwise regression method to investigate the impact of DIT on CI. The results show that (1) DIT is significantly negatively associated with CI, as confirmed by extensive robustness and endogeneity tests; (2) the impact of DIT on CI is pronounced in different groups of enterprises and is significant in non-state-owned enterprises, high-tech enterprises, high-polluting enterprises and firms in low-carbon pilot cities; (3) government innovation subsidy also reinforces the CI reduction effect of DIT; (4) mediation analysis indicates that the negative association between DIT and CI operates through enhanced green technological innovation and improved human capital structure. The results extend the research and theoretical perspective on enterprises’ low-carbon development and the influence of digital intelligence transformation.