Big data and Sustainability: Exploring the role of data element allocation in enhancing corporate performance

IF 4.8 2区经济学 Q1 BUSINESS, FINANCE

International Review of Economics & Finance Pub Date : 2025-07-05 DOI:10.1016/j.iref.2025.104402

Zhengang Zhang, Gailei He, Yushu Lu

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Abstract

Amid various environmental and social crises, addressing how to guide enterprises toward sustainable development effectively is imperative. Using the establishment of the National Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zones (NBDC zones) as a quasi-natural experiment, this study explores the causal effect and mechanism of data element allocation (DEA) on corporate sustainability performance (SDP). Based on panel data from China's listed manufacturing companies between 2010 and 2021 and employing difference-in-differences (DID) model, the findings reveal that data elements significantly enhance SDP, with notable heterogeneity across firms and regions. These conclusions remain robust after a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analysis indicates that data elements indirectly influence SDP by enhancing resource allocation capabilities and strengthening green innovation capacities. This research contributes to understanding how data elements improve SDP, providing policy insights for government agencies to leverage big data in advancing corporate sustainability.

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大数据与可持续发展：探讨数据要素配置在提升企业绩效中的作用

面对各种环境和社会危机，如何有效引导企业走向可持续发展势在必行。本研究以国家大数据综合实验区（NBDC）的建立为准自然实验，探讨数据要素配置（DEA）对企业可持续发展绩效（SDP）的因果关系及机制。基于2010 - 2021年中国制造业上市公司的面板数据，采用差分中的差分（DID）模型，研究发现数据要素显著提升了SDP，且在企业和地区之间存在显著的异质性。经过一系列稳健性检验后，这些结论仍然是稳健性的。机制分析表明，数据要素通过增强资源配置能力和增强绿色创新能力间接影响企业可持续发展水平。本研究有助于理解数据元素如何改善SDP，为政府机构利用大数据促进企业可持续发展提供政策见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Review of Economics & Finance Multiple-

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

2.20%

发文量

253

期刊介绍： The International Review of Economics & Finance (IREF) is a scholarly journal devoted to the publication of high quality theoretical and empirical articles in all areas of international economics, macroeconomics and financial economics. Contributions that facilitate the communications between the real and the financial sectors of the economy are of particular interest.