Data Elements Driving the Formation of New Quality Productive Forces in Cities: Evidence from 289 Chinese Cities

Data elements are regarded as a new type of production factor that fosters the formation of new quality productive forces in cities and are closely related to sustainable urban development. Drawing on a balanced panel of 289 Chinese cities from 2012 to 2022, this study treats the Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone policy as a quasi-natural experiment and employs the difference-in-difference (DID) model. The findings show that this data-element policy designation significantly accelerates the formation of new quality productive forces in cities. Improving the urban business environment and raising the level of urban digital innovation are positively associated with this effect and are consistent with the two proposed channels, although the current design cannot separate direct from indirect effects. The effect of data elements on new quality productive forces in cities is heterogeneous, depending on factors such as urban resource endowments, urban carbon emission intensity, and urban agglomerations. To some extent, the findings serve as a theoretical reference and offer practical implications for sustainable urban development in the era of the digital economy.