Can technological change bring the improvement of green total factor productivity?: evidence from China

Technological change is a vital force for sustained economic growth. As environmental pollution becomes more prominent, a 'green' development model that integrates economic growth and environmental protection has become an inevitable choice for countries worldwide. Using panel data from 30 provinces in China, this study analyzes the impact of three technological change channels: domestic technology stock, international technology spillover, and absorptive capacity on green total factor productivity (GTFP). The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The three technological change ways of domestic technology stock, international technology spillover, and absorptive capacity show a U-shaped nonlinear relationship that first inhibits and then promotes GTFP. (2) The impact of three technological change methods on GTFP is different in different regions, and different channels of technological change in the same region play different roles. Therefore, all localities should formulate technological change measures according to local conditions. (3) In terms of the mechanism of action, the innovation preference of enterprises positively moderate the relationship between domestic technology stock and GTFP; Social innovation preference strengthens the promoting effect of international technology spillover and absorptive capacity on GTFP; Government innovation preference has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between international technology spillover and GTFP.