Information industry convergence and energy efficiency-quasi-natural experimental from China

Leveraging the unique setting of China's prefecture-level cities from 2004 to 2016, and the integrative push within the information sector fostered by the Triple Play Reform in 2010 and 2011 as a quasi-natural experiment, this study employs a multi-period difference-in-differences methodology to scrutinize the influence of information industry convergence (IIC) on urban energy efficiency and its underlying mechanisms. To explore the spillover effects of industrial convergence, we construct three geo-economic correlation matrices. The results show that IIC has significantly improved energy efficiency, and it is significantly positive at the 1 % level, which means that for every 1 % increase in the standard deviation of the IIC, the energy efficiency increases by 3.006 % relative to its average. Enhancements in human capital accumulation, industrial optimization, and augmented capital supply emerge as critical conduits bolstering energy efficiency. These insights withstand a battery of robustness checks. Further heterogeneity analyses suggest that the policy's efficaciousness is markedly pronounced in resource-based cities and those with a robust green foundation. This research furnishes novel empirical substantiation to invigorate China's pursuit of carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives, alongside fostering high-caliber urban development.