Taking the Stock Connect scheme as an exogenous shock based on data of China’s Ashare non-financial listed companies from 2009 to 2021, we identify the causal effect of stock market liberalization on green innovation. The baseline result based on a staggered difference-indifferences (DID) model suggests that stock market liberalization promotes corporate green innovation and this effect is similar to the green benefits of China’s mandatory environmental regulations. The results are robust to various checks, including the parallel trend tests, placebo tests, and the heterogenous time-varying treatment test based on Bacon decomposition and the DIDM approach. The enhanced continuity of corporate financing, improved corporate green governance and increased firm external technological collaboration are three plausible channels that allow stock market liberalization to promote corporate green innovation. Moreover, the effect is more significant for clean firms, non-SOEs, and firms in a good institutional environment. Further analysis suggests that the green innovation-enhancing effects of stock market liberalization are more likely to be high-quality innovation. Our paper provides new insights into understanding the green benefits of stock market liberalization and achieving sustainable economic development in developing countries.

In this paper, we investigate whether those enterprises adopting digital finance exhibit higher values. On the basis of the constructed fintech-related lexicon developed by the machine learning-based Word2Vec model, we employ the frequency of fintech-related words (phrases) in the management discussion sections of annual reports as a proxy variable for the degree to which enterprises apply digital finance. We utilize panel data regression and mediation models based on data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2016 to 2022 and explore the impact of this degree of digital finance application on enterprise value. We find that the degree to which enterprises apply digital finance elevates their values. The in-depth integration of digital technology and finance directly enhances enterprise value by reducing financing costs. Additionally, the effects are more evident among small-scale firms and enterprises located in regions with lower marketization levels. However, in the face of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the positive effects on enterprises are relatively low.

Digital economy promotes the modernization of industrial structure by influencing the rationalization and upgrading of industrial structure through technical level and factor level; while excessive credit expansion hinders the modernization of industrial structure. This paper uses panel data from 31 jurisdictions in China to conduct empirical analysis, and finds that digital economy development shows a year-on-year rising trend, and there is a large gap between different regions. The conclusion still holds after the robustness test and regional heterogeneity analysis, thus enriching the understanding of mechanisms and regional differentiation of digital economy, credit expansion on industrial structure modernization.

Purpose – Using a sample of 9,898 firm-year observations from 1,821 unique Chinese listed firms over the period from 2004 to 2019, this study aims to investigate whetherthe marketrewards meeting or beating analyst earnings expectations (MBE). Design/methodology/approach –The authors use an event study methodology to capture marketreactions to MBE. Findings – The authors document a stock return premium for beating analyst forecasts by a wide margin. However,there is no stock return premium forfirms that meet orjust beat analystforecasts, suggesting that the market is skeptical of earnings management by these firms. This market underreaction is more pronounced for firms with weak external monitoring. Further analysis shows that meeting or just beating analyst forecasts is indicative of superior future financial performance. The authors do not find firms using earnings management to meet or just beat analyst forecasts. Research limitations/implications – The authors provide evidence of market underreaction to meeting or just beating analyst forecasts, with the market’s over-skepticism of earnings management being a plausible mechanism for this phenomenon. Practical implications – The findings of this study are informative to researchers, market participants and regulators concerned about the impact of analysts and earnings management and interested in detecting and constraining managers’ earnings management. Originality/value – The authors provide new insights into how the market reacts to MBE by showing that the market appears to focus on using meeting or just beating analyst forecasts as an indicator of earnings management, while it does not detect managed MBE. Meeting or just beating analyst forecasts is commonly used as a proxy for earnings management in the literature. However, the findings suggest that it is a noisy proxy for earnings management.

Purpose – This study aims to examine whether and how gender diversity on corporate boards is associated with voluntary nonfinancial disclosures, particularly water disclosures. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses corporate water information disclosure data from Chinese listed firms between 2010 and 2018 to conductregression analyses to examine the association between female directors and water information disclosure. Findings – Empirical results show that female directors have a significantly positive association with corporate water information disclosure. Additionally, internal industry water sensitivity of firms moderates this significant relationship. Originality/value – This study determined that female directors can promote not only water disclosure but also positive corporate water performance, reflecting the consistency of words and deeds of female directors in voluntary nonfinancial disclosures.

把握新技术革命发展机遇,推动产业智能化升级,对于新形势下实现经济高质量发展具有重要作用。文章基于 2003—2019 年中国 283 个地级市数据和网络爬虫获得的企业微观数据构建城市产业智能化指数,采用社会网络分析方法考察产业智能化的空间关联网络特征；此外,运用机器学习中的极限梯度提升树算法（XGBoost）识别出产业智能化的核心驱动因素,在此基础上借助加权指数随机图模型（ERGM）探析产业智能化空间关联网络驱动机制。研究发现：（1）样本期间产业智能化空间关联强度不断提高,但整体处于较低水平,存在较大的提升空间；大部分城市位于网络边缘位置,主要依靠城市群或中心城市对周边城市产业智能化产生辐射带动作用。（2）XGBoost 算法测算结果表明,技术创新、产业结构升级和对外开放是产业智能化的核心影响因素,累积贡献率高达 92.72%。（3）技术创新、产业结构升级和对外开放有利于加强城市间的产业智能化合作。异质性分析发现,产业结构升级主要推动外围城市、高产业智能化水平城市形成紧密的产业智能化空间关联,而技术创新和对外开放对其驱动作用有限。据此,文章提出了推动产业智能化空间协调发展的相应政策建议。

在建设全国统一大市场的进程中,有效降低企业非生产性支出是提高市场运行效率的关键环节。文章基于 2016—2019 年中国 A 股上市公司数据,使用大数据发展“政用指数”刻画各地区数字政府建设水平,评估了数字政府建设对企业非生产性支出的影响及其机制。研究发现,数字政府建设显著降低了企业非生产性支出。上述结论在一系列稳健性检验之后依然成立。异质性效应分析表明,数字政府建设抑制企业非生产性活动的效应对非国有企业、政府管制行业、数字化转型程度较高的企业以及信息基础设施水平较高的地区更强。机制检验结果表明,数字政府建设降低企业非生产性支出的效应随着政务服务效能的提升而减弱,且数字政府建设会显著改善企业面临的税收环境。这意味着提升政务服务效能是数字政府建设降低企业非生产性支出的重要机制。文章证实了数字政府建设对于抑制企业非生产性活动的积极意义,在一定程度上可为激发市场主体活力、夯实经济发展效率的变革提供政策借鉴。

中国产业链企业存在专利创新“量质错配”陷阱,这阻碍了创新要素的沿链扩散与技术整合,导致重点领域的关键核心技术难以实现有效突破。文章从产业链治理的视角出发,实证检验了机构纵向持股能否提升产业链企业的专利创新质量。研究发现,嵌入产业链的机构纵向持股与企业专利创新质量之间呈现出“U”形非线性关系。在 U-test 非线性测试、控制样本选择偏差和反向因果等内生性与稳健性检验后,上述结论依然成立。异质性分析表明,机构纵向持股的投资组合权重以及产业链上下游非对称持股影响其治理行为。其中,监督型机构纵向持股在企业专利创新治理中发挥主要作用；随着产业链非对称持股程度加大,来自联结供应商或者分销商的机构纵向持股的治理策略逐渐由“策略均衡”向“主动干预”演化,从而提升企业专利创新质量。在作用机制方面,当持股比例小于 26.27% 时,机构纵向持股通过纵向关联交易和垄断竞争强化垄断效应,降低企业专利创新质量；当持股比例大于 26.27% 时,机构纵向持股通过企业供需优化和委派董事加强协同治理效应,以此促进专利再配置和专利引用,进而加强创新扩散效应,提升企业专利创新质量。文章的研究结论可以深化对机构纵向持股这一新兴持股模式促进产业链企业专利管理的认识,同时也为政府监管部门制定关于产业链韧性和稳定的相关政策提供有益参考。

近年来,在创新驱动发展战略下,国家创新能力显著提高。但如何有效发挥金融对实体经济创新的支持作用,仍然是政府部门和学界关注的重大现实课题。立足于金融服务实体经济视角,文章以国家产业与金融合作试点城市（简称产融合作试点城市）建设为准自然实验,运用双重差分法考察了国家产融合作试点城市建设对企业创新的影响及其作用机制。研究发现,国家产融合作试点城市的企业专利申请数量显著增加,但主要体现在非发明专利的申请上。机制检验发现,国家产融合作试点城市建设并非通过地方政府财政补贴等强干预措施发挥作用,而是通过降低银行与企业之间的信息不对称程度和企业贷款交易成本等市场化机制提高了企业信贷可得性,进而促进了企业创新。异质性分析发现,国家产融合作试点城市建设的创新促进作用在地方政府干预程度较低的地区,以及融资约束严重、创新需求大和处在成长期的企业中更为凸显,并主要体现在“集约边际”而非“广延边际”,即政策实施之前已有专利申请的企业更能抓住契机提升创新产出；此外,国家产融合作试点城市建设也显著提升了企业创新效率。文章不仅为国家产融合作试点城市建设发挥的创新促进作用提供了多维度的经验证据,而且为进一步推进创新型国家建设提供了有益参考。

中央金融强监管政策效果受到高度关注,但补齐地方金融监管短板的重要性却鲜有提及。文章基于 2018 年省级地方金融办集中升格为地方金融监管局这一准自然实验,研究了地方金融监管改革能否促使实体企业“脱虚向实”而回归本源。研究发现,地方金融“办升局”所引起的金融监管强化会显著促进实体企业“脱虚”去金融化,且主要挤出了其出于逐利性动机而参与的金融活动,这是通过阻隔影子银行逐利渠道和民间金融投资渠道实现的。进一步地,地方金融监管改革能够显著推动实体企业“脱虚”后“向实”,促进主业投资,提升主业业绩。此外,地方金融监管改革抑制实体企业金融化的作用主要体现在制度环境较差、财政分权程度较高、城投债发行规模较大和银行业竞争度较低的地区。文章初步厘清了地方金融监管改革效应传导至金融化实体企业的机理路径及经济结果,为金融如何更好服务实体经济高质量发展提供了重要的政策启示。