Digital Infrastructure Construction and Unified National Market Formation:On the Synergistic Effect of the Transportation Network Expansion
The construction of a unified national market is the foundational support and inherent requirement for establishing a new development pattern.As the underlying architecture and technological foundation of digital China,digital infrastructure provides a new opportunity for accelerating the construction of a unified national market.This article,based on panel data from cities at or above prefecture level in China from 2009 to 2020,analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure construction on the formation of a unified national market and its mechanisms from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.It also explores the synergistic effects of expanding transportation networks.This article finds that the construction of digital infrastructure significantly promotes the formation of a unified national market.The enhanced data factor mobility and increased degree of technological specialization brought about by the development of digital infrastructure are important channels affecting the formation of a unified national market.Heterogeneity analysis reveals that in terms of urban characteristics,digital infrastructure more effectively promotes the formation of a unified market in small and medium-sized cities,coastal cities.In terms of government behavior,an increased focus by government on digital infrastructure and a reduction in administrative segmentation are more conducive to leveraging the promotional role of digital infrastructure in the formation of a unified national market.Extension analysis finds that the expansion of transportation networks can form a synergistic effect with digital infrastructure,providing a more significant boost to the formation of a unified national market.This article offers policy references for the government to manage the relationship between new and old infrastructures and to guide the positive role of digital infrastructure in the construction of a unified national market.
Unified National MarketDigital InfrastructureTransportation NetworkFlow of Data ElementsTechnological Specialization
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
