The impact of innovation-driven industrial clusters on urban carbon emission efficiency: Empirical evidence from China

Innovative industrial clusters can leverage economies of scale and synergies, thereby providing new impetus for enhancing carbon emission efficiency. This study, based on panel data from Chinese cities between 2010 and 2021, views the pilot policy of innovative industrial clusters as a quasi-natural experiment, using a difference-indifferences model to identify the causal relationship between innovative industrial clusters and carbon emission efficiency. The findings indicate that: (1) Innovative industrial clusters can significantly improve carbon emission efficiency, and this conclusion holds under multiple robustness checks; (2) Innovative industrial clusters enhance carbon emission efficiency by upgrading industrial structures, accelerating technological progress, and improving transportation efficiency; (3) The positive impact of innovative industrial clusters on carbon emission efficiency is more pronounced in cities with non-resource-based economies, higher administrative levels, greater marketization, relatively well-developed digital infrastructure, and stronger intellectual property protection; (4) Innovative industrial clusters exert a positive spatial spillover effect on carbon emission efficiency. This study is the first to examine the role of innovative industrial cluster policies in improving carbon emission efficiency, providing valuable insights and experiences for advancing sustainable development.