The Impact of Digital Economy and Industrial Agglomeration on the Changes of Industrial Structure in the Yangtze River Delta

This article empirically examines the influences of digital economy and industrial agglomeration on the rationalization and advancement of the industrial structure in the Yangtze River Delta cities using city-level panel data analysis. The empirical results demonstrate that the digital economy produces a significant positive effect on the rationalization and advancement of industrial structure in the Yangtze River Delta. The agglomerations of manufacturing and productive services and their collaborative agglomeration promote the industrial structure rationalization and advancement in the Yangtze River Delta cities. Different industrial agglomerations produce a significant divergence in the mediating influences of both digital economy and industrial structure upgrading.