Research on the impact of ESG performance on carbon emissions from the perspective of green credit.

Utilizing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces, this research examines the non-linear relationship between regional environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and carbon emissions (CE) from the viewpoint of green credit. The study reveals a single threshold effect between ESG performance and CE, with green credit acting as the threshold variable. When the amount of green credit in a region exceeds the threshold, the growth rate of CE in that region begins to decline with higher ESG scores. Furthermore, green credit acts as a catalyst, playing a negative moderating role between ESG performance and CE, validated by both threshold regression and fixed effects models on panel data. Green credit indirectly influences carbon emissions by supporting green innovation, thus facilitating the transition to a greener economic development framework. Lastly, regional disparities are found in the moderating influence of green credit between ESG performance and CE. In regions with high ESG performance, the moderating impact of green credit is smaller, while in regions with low ESG performance, the effect is more significant. The research findings offer theoretical backing for policymakers regarding the efficacy of ESG in achieving carbon neutrality objectives, and offer valuable strategic recommendations for the diversified formulation of green credit strategies on both national and provincial scales. Regional heterogeneity test results provide valuable support for formulating policies that encourage green credit in provinces with low ESG performance.

The impact of clean energy demonstration province policies on carbon intensity in Chinese counties based on the multi-phase PSM-DID method.

Based on China's empirical data from 2000 to 2020 of 1875 county-level administrative units, combined with the multi-phase by the propensity score matching and difference-in-difference (PSM-DID) model, this paper studies the impact of clean energy demonstration province policies on the carbon intensity of pilot counties, and its further impact on carbon emissions and economic development level. The results showed that 1. from a county-level perspective, although the economic development level of the pilot areas of clean energy demonstration provinces has improved as the carbon emissions have also increased, what is more, the carbon intensity has also significantly improved in this process; 2. there is no time lag in the impact of policies on the carbon intensity of counties, and the impact effects gradually increase over time along with strong regional heterogeneity; 3. the clean energy demonstration policy has weakened the technological level of the county and reduced the proportion of industrial-added value to GDP, thereby increasing the carbon intensity of the county through these intermediaries.

The impact of digital financial inclusion and urbanization on agricultural mechanization: Evidence from counties of China.

This paper expounds the theoretical logic among digital inclusive finance, urbanization, and agricultural mechanization level, puts forward the research hypothesis, and then selects the county unbalanced panel data of 1309 counties in China from 2014 to 2020 based on the two-way fixed model with standard error clustering to county level and mediating effect model for empirical data regression analysis. Through baseline regression analysis, mediation effect analysis, and heterogeneity analysis, the findings of this paper are as follows. First, digital financial inclusion has a significant positive effect on the growth of agricultural mechanization. Second, digital inclusive finance at the county level can also indirectly affect the growth of agricultural mechanization through urbanization. That is, agricultural mechanization has an intermediary effect between the financial agglomeration at the county level and the growth of farmers' income. Third, the impact of county-level digital financial inclusion on the growth of agricultural mechanization level is significantly heterogeneous, and the promoting effect is significant in areas with balanced grain production, national-level poor county or contiguous areas of dire poverty, and areas with a good foundation for digital financial inclusion. By analyzing digital inclusive finance, urbanization, and agricultural mechanization, this paper proposes targeted policy recommendations. First, the government can promote agricultural mechanization by developing digital financial inclusion. Second, the government should guide and accelerate the process of digital financial inclusion, promoting urbanization thereby amplifying the positive impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural mechanization. Third, given the heterogeneity of the impact of digital financial inclusion on agricultural mechanization, local development should focus on developing different dimensions of digital financial inclusion according to specific conditions.