貿易円滑化を超えて：中国の越境ECパイロット区が都市の炭素効率をどう改善するか

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:デジタル貿易政策の脱炭素効果を因果推論で測る手法と媒介経路の検証例として参考になる。

🏢実務担当者:越境EC・物流拠点の立地やデジタル投資判断の際、地域の環境規制と炭素効率の関係を意識する材料になる。

🏛政策担当者:デジタル基盤整備と環境規制の同時強化が炭素効率改善に有効という示唆を政策設計に活かせる。

Background Digital trade may support lower-carbon economic development. Its environmental benefits depend on the balance between efficiency gains and the energy and logistics demands of trade expansion. Existing research links cross-border e-commerce pilot zones to urban carbon emission efficiency, but the conditions under which these gains arise need closer examination. Objectives This study examines whether cross-border e-commerce pilot zone designation improves urban carbon emission efficiency. It also explores potential transmission channels and assesses differences by geographic region, digital infrastructure, and environmental regulation. Methods We use 2010–2022 panel data for Chinese cities, with 3,666 city–year observations in the baseline regressions, to estimate a staggered difference-in-differences model of Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zone (CEPZ) designation. Carbon emission efficiency is measured with a super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) incorporating undesirable outputs. The model controls for population, economic development, urbanization, fiscal expenditure intensity, financial development, and higher education resources. Standard errors are clustered at the city level. Event-study, placebo, and Sun–Abraham analyses assess robustness alongside alternative specifications, including two-way clustering by province and year and one-way clustering by province. We examine three potential mechanisms and test coefficient differences using bdiff bootstrap. Results The controlled CEPZ coefficient is 0.0050 (p < 0.05). The Sun–Abraham estimate is 0.0079 (p < 0.01). Mechanism regressions are consistent with green patenting intensity and energy-structure channels, with weaker evidence for industrial structure. Estimates are larger in eastern cities and groups with stronger digital infrastructure or environmental regulation, with significant between-group differences. The weaker digital-infrastructure group has a negative coefficient significant at the 10% level. Conclusion The findings suggest that CEPZ-based trade development can contribute to urban carbon emission efficiency, with gains differing across local conditions. Policy priorities include improving digital infrastructure where it is weak, supporting green innovation, and coordinating trade development with environmental regulation.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2026.1964517first seen 2026-10-21 04:38:52