Does Digitalization Promote the Green and High-Quality Development of Logistics Industry in the Yellow River Basin of China?

Abstract

The digital transformation is of great significance to green and high-quality development of logistics industry (L-GHD). This paper analyzes the theoretical mechanism of digitalization affecting the L-GHD. In the meantime, taking the urban data of China’s Yellow River Basin as an example, a fixed effect model is established to empirically test the impact of digitalization on the L-GHD. The results show that: (1) digitalization can significantly promote the L-GHD. (2) Digitalization indirectly promotes the L-GHD through technological innovation input and output, optimized allocation of labor and capital elements. (3) The heterogeneity test of city types shows that the impact of digitalization on the L-GHD is more significant in non-resource-based cities. Urban location heterogeneity test shows that digitalization has a more significant impact on L-GHD in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin. Finally, it puts forward suggestions to accelerate the healthy development of digitalization and help the L-GHD in the Yellow River Basin of China.