As the underlying institutional design for enterprise risk management, it is important to study whether and how internal control affects enterprise technological innovation in the current context of increased economic policy uncertainty. Based on the principal-agent theory and information asymmetry theory, this paper explores the impact of internal control on corporate technological innovation using the listed company data from 2009-2019 CSMAR database, and obtains the following research conclusions: (1) the quality of internal control positively affects the corporate technological innovation. (2) The operational risk plays an intermediary role in the relationship between the internal control affecting the corporate technological innovation. (3) The degree of market competition positively moderates the impact of internal control on enterprise technological innovation. (4) Relative to non-stateowned enterprises and non-high-tech enterprises, the quality of internal control of state-owned enterprises and high-tech enterprises has a more significant impact on enterprise technological innovation. This paper enriches the consequences of the study of internal control on the one hand, and on the other hand, it provides a new perspective for improving technological innovation, and it provides certain guidance for further improving the level of corporate governance.

This study analyzes how the presence and the composition of nomination committees could influence innovation. Specifically, we focus on the committee size, the frequency of meetings, and the presence of independent and female members. Innovation is measured by (1) the firm’s ability to produce innovations such as new or improved products/processes and the number of patents, and (2) innovation expenditures (R&D spending and the number of scientists and experts per R&D teams). This study is drawn on firms listed on the SBF120 index, between 2002 and 2016. It provides the following results: First, the presence of nomination committees is negatively associated with the number of patent applications and the number of scientists and engineers in R&D teams. Furthermore, most of the nomination committee’s attributes (such as the presence of independent and women members) have no significant association with innovation proxies. We show, also, that large nomination committees are prone to increase innovation income (such as the R&D expenditures and the number of scientists and experts per R&D teams) as well as the number of filed patents. Turning to the committee functioning provides evidence that the frequency of meetings could reduce asymmetric information regarding innovation projects and lead to an increase of R&D expenses. This article brings practical insights to board structures issues. This study contributes to the current debate on how boards should be organized, specifically; the nomination committees. It shows that boards should pay attention to the nomination committee features as they could undermine innovation projects, specifically in innovation-sensitive industries.

With the intensification of the global ecological crisis, promoting green development has become a key path to achieve sustainable development. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2011 to 2022, this paper systematically examines the impact of scientific and technological talent agglomeration on regional green development and its mechanism of action. The study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system of regional green development level, adopts location entropy to measure the degree of scientific and technological talent concentration, and empirically analyses it by using the fixed effect model, mediation effect model and moderating effect model. The study finds that (1) scientific and technological talent concentration has a significant promotion effect on green development, and this conclusion still holds after various robustness tests and endogeneity treatment; (2) from the perspective of regional heterogeneity, the green development effect of scientific and technological talent concentration is significant in the eastern region, while it is not significant in the central and western regions; from the perspective of period heterogeneity, the promotion effect of scientific and technological talent concentration is more significant after the introduction of ‘The Outline of National Innovation-Driven Development Strategy’; from the perspective of Internet development, the promotion effect is more significant; from the perspective of the heterogeneity of period, the promotion effect is more significant; from the perspective of heterogeneity of the level of Internet development, scientific and technological talent agglomeration shows a stronger promotion effect in regions with a lower level of Internet development; (3) the mechanism test shows that scientific and technological talent agglomeration can promote green development through two paths of enhancing the level of public environmental concern and promoting green technological innovation, and at the same time, the level of marketisation and the government's attention to scientific and technological talent can positively regulate this kind of promotion. Based on the conclusions of the study, this paper puts forward policy suggestions to systematically improve the level of regional scientific and technological talent concentration, and to give full play to the effects of external supervision and technological innovation.

We generalize the 3-player game introduced by Mêgnigbêto (2018) to analyze the synergies existing between universities, the industry and the government in the Triple Helix, a model of research and innovation introduced by Leydesdorff and Etzkowitz (1995). We consider situations involving any number of actors and we allow for a differentiation of their contributions. The resulting game has nonnegative Harsanyi dividends, implying its convexity. The relative size of the core measures the extent of the synergies and the Shapley value measures the contribution of each actor to these synergies. Incidentally, the resulting game lends itself to a wide range of applications.

Based on China's 30 provincial panel data from 2006 to 2018, this paper uses the spatial Durbin model to empirically study the influence path and transmission mechanism of financial development on regional technological innovation, and introduce digital finance environment, marketization degree, and government environmental management as an adjustment variable to verify its regulating effect on financial development and regional technological innovation. The study found that the overall promotion of digital finance to local technological innovation is not significant. Besides, the characteristics of ownership discrimination and weak risk appetite in the bank's medium and long-term credit market have led to its failure to promote regional technological innovation. In contrast, the stock market and bond market in direct financing channels have enhanced local innovation capabilities. When the external environmental system is used as the adjustment variable, the results show that an excellent digital finance development, marketization degree, and government environmental management can effectively and positively regulate the effect of financial development and technological innovation.

As governments worldwide grapple with the urgent need to mitigate climate change, understanding the nuanced relationship between fiscal targets and environmental innovation is crucial for crafting effective policy frameworks. Green technological advancement stands as the cornerstone of enterprise competitiveness, driving improvements in both economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. Government fiscal policies play a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of green transformation within enterprises, particularly through the establishment of fiscal revenue targets. Drawing upon data from prefecture-level cities and enterprise records, this study employs empirical analysis utilizing a fixed effects model and instrumental variable method. Our findings underscore the significant impact of fiscal revenue target setting on the trajectory of green technological advancement within enterprises. Specifically, the imposition of fiscal revenue growth targets exerts a dampening effect on the propensity for green technological advancement among enterprises. Notably, this disincentive is particularly pronounced among state-owned enterprises, as well as those with lower and moderate returns on capital, and those characterized by labor-intensive operations. Furthermore, our research delves into the underlying mechanisms of this inhibitory effect. We ascertain that the pressure associated with fiscal revenue growth targets hampers corporate green technological advancement by amplifying tax burdens and exacerbating financing constraints. In light of these findings, our study not only contributes to the theoretical understanding of the interplay between government fiscal policies and corporate innovation but also provides empirical evidence to inform strategies aimed at reconciling the imperative of fiscal revenue growth with the imperative of fostering green technological advancement within enterprises. In the broader context of governmental efforts to address climate change, this research underscores the importance of aligning fiscal policies with environmental objectives.

When human civilization is thriving to the rapid economic and social development, the deteriorating ecological environment has also pressured the society to put environmental protection issues on the agenda future development. Therefore, green innovation is not merely a requirement for a corporate’s long-term development but the basics of sustainable development of human society. As an objective indicator to measure a company's commitment to social responsibility, corporate environmental responsibility has an extremely important impact on a corporate's business philosophy and innovation strategy. However, the existing literature rarely studies between these two variables. This paper collects the data of listed companies from 2010 to 2019 and empirically tests the impact of corporate environmental responsibility on corporate green innovation. The study finds that corporate environmental responsibility can promote green innovation by reducing financing constraints, improving corporate governance and increasing government subsidies and R&D investment, and the result is still significant under a series of robustness checks. The placebo test suggests that the Jiangsu enterprise responsibility construction pilot has facilitated the development of enterprises' green innovation to a great extent. The conclusions enrich existing literature on corporate environmental responsibility and corporate green innovation, providing implications for government policy orientation, social atmosphere guidance and corporate strategic decision-making process.

Improving energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) efficiency is a virtuous cycle of economic development and environmental protection, promoting countries around the world towards sustainable development. As a strategic technology leading a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the large-scale application of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the transformation of manufacturing production methods, which is increasingly essential for improving the effectiveness of environmental governance. This study aims to analyze the impact of AI technology on ECER in the manufacturing industry, as well as the specific impact paths and heterogeneity. We contribute to previous literature by measuring ECER of Chinese manufacturing sector using the EBM model. The mediation effect model is used to analyze the impact mechanism between AI technology and ECER. The results indicate that AI promotes the ECER efficiency in the manufacturing sector. The positive effects are attributed to the development of energy consumption structure and technological innovation. The impact of AI on ECER exhibits an evident heterogeneous effect across industries with different pollution intensity, R&D intensity and labor intensity, and ownership dominant industry. Additionally, higher levels of environmental regulation lead to an increase in the positive effects of robot promotion on ECER. The research conclusions provide important reference for understanding the relationship between AI technology and ECER, and contribute a new way to promote environmental governance and carbon neutrality.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in video game design has transformed traditional workflows, allowing for the generation of text, images, music, videos, and code at unprecedented scales. However, this advancement presents complex challenges for copyright law, traditionally rooted in human originality and authorship. This article examines recent case law that underscores the evolving legal landscape, exploring landmark cases such as Zarya of the Dawn and Andersen v. Stability AI. These cases reveal the tensions between AI-generated outputs and copyright eligibility, especially in the dynamic, multimodal compositions inherent to video games. The review analyzes how various AI tools are employed across the stages of game development—from design documentation to character modeling, soundtrack composition, and cinematic sequences—and the legal uncertainties surrounding each. Emphasis is placed on the role of human input in determining copyright eligibility, proposing that human-AI co-creation models and enhanced metadata standards may offer pathways to reconcile AI-driven innovation with intellectual property protections. As video games exemplify the unique challenges in AI-generated, temporally interactive works, this study calls for a nuanced copyright framework that acknowledges both technological capabilities and the irreplaceable contribution of human creativity. The findings advocate for policy adaptations that align legal protections with the realities of AI-integrated creative processes, ensuring a balanced approach that supports both innovation and creator rights.

With the continuous advancement of technological revolution and industrial transformation, digital finance supported by big data and artificial intelligence has become an important engine for promoting carbon neutrality. We measured the industrial structure transformation index (ISU) of 30 provinces in China, and discussed the spatial spillover effect and transmission mechanism between digital finance and ISU using the spatial Durbin model. The research results demonstrate that the digital finance development can significantly improve the local ISU. Interestingly, the impact of digital finance on the ISU of adjacent areas has a significantly negative spatial spillover effect, which still exists under the different spatial weight matrix. Digital finance can improve ISU by improving green technology innovation, upgrading industrial structure, and alleviating capital allocation. We also found that the higher degree of marketization and environmental regulation can increase the positive influences of digital finance on ISU. This research proves the effectiveness of the digital finance in improving energy efficiency, and it encourages policymakers around the world to rely on digital finance to promote ecological governance and achieve high-quality economic development.

This paper analyses the influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on organizational change in SMEs that have yet to be internationalized. A Likert scale questionnaire was applied to 78 SMEs in the change process. The significance level was sought in an ANOVA (analysis of variance) by linking variables concerning ICT, on the one hand, and the effects of ICT on organizational change, on the other hand, as well as specific issues that may promote or hinder the implementation of organizational change. The findings of this study show that both the frequency and the intensity of the ICT backlog were the most influential elements in change management. The main conclusion is that backwardness can be advantageous in specific economic contexts, mainly when the SMEs are oriented toward a part of the population with less experience in the use of technologies or the company is in a country where ICT consumption is not maximized because ICT has exceeded the needs and expectations of the population.

The digital economy has emerged as a crucial driving force for promoting China’s green transformation in the new development phase. The “Broadband China” initiative, a key policy aimed at fostering the digital economy, plays a significant role in enhancing green total factor productivity (GTFP). This paper, based on the "Broadband China" policy and panel data from 283 prefecture-level cities from 2009 to 2022, constructs a theoretical model and employs a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method to systematically analyze the impact of digital infrastructure development on urban green total factor productivity (GTFP) and its underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that the “Broadband China” policy has significantly improved GTFP in pilot cities, with stronger effects observed in economically developed regions and large- to medium-sized cities. Mechanism analysis indicates that technological innovation, industrial structure optimization, and energy conservation and emission reduction are the main pathways through which digital infrastructure promotes the improvement of green total factor productivity (GTFP). The regional heterogeneity analysis reveals that policy effects are more significant in eastern regions and large or medium-sized cities, whereas the effects are relatively weaker in central and western regions and smaller cities. Robustness checks further validate the reliability of the research conclusions. Additionally, this study reveals the critical role of digital infrastructure development in enhancing green total factor productivity and promoting high-quality economic development from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. It provides valuable insights for optimizing digital infrastructure investment strategies and formulating regional development policies.

Even though policy coordination is one of the oldest challenges that governments have to confront, as problems evolve and "New Public Management" concepts emerge, it has become even more essential. The current literature on policy coordination among government agencies, however, shows little regarding the way coordination is managed under centralized political systems. This study, based on the science and technology (S&T) policy documents issued by China's central government agencies between 1978 and 2020, provides a quantitative and dynamic analysis of the coordination of policies in China and presents a comprehensive overview of policy coordination paths and processes in centralized political systems. As a result, it provides a way that contributes to the analytical methods available for quantitatively analyzing policy documents. On the other hand, the key findings of the study show that, first, state council-administered ministries have taken the lead in coordinating policy while other types of organizations have collaborated in more subordinate capacities. Second, national themes that are democratic and driven by demand have been the core concern of coordination activities, such as social development, high-tech industrialization, and rural S&T. Third, policy coordination has evolved continuously and has mostly contributed to interpreting macrostrategies and implementing more specific implementation measures.

In the context of digital economy, Hebei Province, as an important province in central China, has a huge manufacturing base and potential, and the development of digital economy has driven the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industry to a certain extent. In order to better play the driving role of digital economy in the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industry, this paper establishes an intermediary effect model based on three intermediary variables: enterprise resource allocation ability, enterprise cost and enterprise innovation ability, and conducts an empirical study on the panel data of 11 prefecture-level cities in Hebei Province from 2017 to 2022. The mechanism of digital economy driving manufacturing upgrading in Hebei Province was discussed. The results show that: (1) there is a significant positive correlation between the development of digital economy and the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industry, which indicates that the development of digital economy has a direct driving effect on the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industry; (2) There is also a positive correlation between the development of digital economy and the resource allocation ability and innovation ability of enterprises, indicating that the development of digital economy can improve the resource allocation ability and innovation ability of enterprises, and is conducive to the stable development of enterprises in the future; (3) Enterprise resource allocation ability and enterprise innovation ability play a significant intermediary role in the relationship between digital economy development and the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing industry, indicating that digital economy can indirectly accelerate the transformation of manufacturing enterprises' R & D achievements by improving enterprises' resource allocation ability and innovation ability, thus improving enterprises' market competitiveness and increasing enterprises' earnings. Drive the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. Based on this research conclusion, the government should give full play to the role of guidance and support, and introduce relevant policies to help the digital economy drive the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing enterprises. Manufacturing enterprises should seize the tide of the development of the digital economy, use digital technology to improve their resource allocation ability and innovation ability, enhance core competitiveness, and accelerate the transformation and upgrading of enterprises.

This article analyzes the impact of enterprise information transparency (TRANS) on CSR, while examines intrinsic mechanism, nonlinear relationship as well as the heterogeneous effect, taking the data of Chinese 711 listed enterprises from 2010 to 2020. This article finds: The improvement of TRANS is conducive to the fulfillment of CSR, noticeably there is a nonlinear relationship of inverted "U-shaped". Corporate reputation, internal control and external concerns play a part in mediating the influence of TRANS on CSR. The impact of TRANS varies significantly according to the responsibility orientation of different stakeholders. Multiple heterogeneity analysis reveals there is a more promotional effect in large-scale, non-state-owned and high marketization intensity enterprises. motional effect in large-scale, non-state-owned and high marketization intensity enterprises.

With the strengthening of China's economic power and the further implementation of China's open-door policy, China's outward investment has increased year by year. Some international comments are only concerned about the former and there are some public opinions about China's outward investment threatening the host country's environmental quality. This paper takes the carbon emissions of 49 countries along the “Belt and Road” and the acceptance of China's outward FDI as samples, studies the impact of China's outward FDI on the carbon emissions of the relevant countries, and comes to the conclusion that: China's outward FDI is a major factor in China's economic development. It is concluded that China's OFDI increases the total carbon emissions of the countries along the Belt and Road while decreasing the carbon intensity, and the impact is carried out through the three major paths of economic scale, technological level and structural effect.

Against the backdrop of deepening globalization, the widespread adoption and application of digital technologies are reshaping global trade patterns and providing new momentum for low-carbon economic cooperation. Based on panel data from 10 ASEAN countries for the period 2010–2020, this study investigates the role of digital trade in the trade-environment nexus. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between digital trade and carbon emissions, which is explained through the scale effect, structural effect, and technological effect. Furthermore, the study examines the influence of economic development levels and industrial structures on this relationship, identifying significant heterogeneity. Countries with higher levels of economic development and more advanced industrial structures exhibit a more pronounced inverted U-shaped relationship between digital trade and carbon emissions.

The digital transformation provides an opportunity for the development of a green and low-carbon economy. This study used panel data collected from 30 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2018, and assessed the impact of digitization (Dig) on environmental efficiency (EE). Quantile regression is employed to scrutinize the evolution of the marginal effect. From the perspectives of population and institutional factors, this study empirically investigates nonlinear relationships and potential mechanisms using Hansen threshold and mediation models. The findings reveal several key insights. Overall, levels of digitization and environmental efficiency (EE) are increasing with regional dispersion expansion, indicating a “polarization” characteristic. The impact of digitization on EE exhibits noticeable stage and regional heterogeneity. Analysis of population factors reveals that population structure, population size, and human capital trigger a sharp “marginal increase” of positive effects with single thresholds of 0.8155, 7.2284, and 11.0497, respectively. Analysis of institutional factors highlights the significance of fiscal policy quality (tax proportion), education expenditure, and tax system structure as important intermediaries. Finally, this paper presents corresponding policy implications.

The dynamic patterns of technology adoption among firms clustered by size are investigated to assess the implications arising from the digital divide. Using data from the “Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Enterprises (IUTICE)" dataset for 2003-2022, provided by the Portuguese Institute of Statistics, the research centers on three key variables – internet connectivity, website presence, and computer usage – which are examined across a spectrum of firms’ scales, shedding light on the evolving trends in technology adoption. Employing a combination of descriptive statistical analysis, trend assessment, and cross-sectional comparisons, this research shows noteworthy insights. Interestingly, the adoption rates for all three technology variables exhibit a consistent upward trajectory, indicative of a movement towards digitalization within the business landscape. Smaller firms have demonstrated notable strides, manifesting a reduction in the technology adoption disparity relative to their larger counterparts. The findings underscore the influential roles played by resource constraints and digital competencies in shaping technology adoption trajectories, and their correspondence with the Resource-Based View (RBV) framework underscores the role of organizational resources and capabilities on the digital divide. The ramifications extend beyond individual firms, resonating with the global scholarly discourse and advocating for equitable integration of technology. As firms, irrespective of size, grapple with the challenges posed by the digital era, this study provides deep insights that can guide the formulation of strategies aimed at cultivating an inclusive and technologically empowered business environment.

The digital economy based on digital technology is an important force for high-quality economic growth and industrial transformation, and has great potential for value creation. Based on the data of 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2017, this paper uses entropy method to calculate the industrial green transformation (IGT), and empirically analyzes the impact of Digital economy on IGT. The DE can significantly reduce IGT of local and neighboring areas after excluding the influence of macro system factors and replacing the spatial weight matrix. The DE can indirectly reduce the IGT by accelerating the accumulation of human capital, and green technology innovation. The impact of digital economy on IGT is a non-linear relationship. With the further improvement of environmental regulation, financial development and intellectual property protection, the role of digital economy in IGT is more obvious. To this end, it is necessary to speed up the construction and improvement of digital infrastructure, build an integrated layout of "digital infrastructure", give full play to the radiating role of the digital economy, and implement differentiated development paths based on regional comparative advantages.