Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy
Purpose – With the help of a quasi-natural experiment on Chinese policies, this study aims to understand the actual contribution of Smart City (SC) policies to the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in different cities. It also discusses the social and digital differences...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Emerald Publishing
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Digital Transformation and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DTS-05-2024-0071/full/pdf |
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| _version_ | 1850198624295714816 |
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| author | Zhouhong Wang Shuxian Liu Jia Li Peng Xiao |
| author_facet | Zhouhong Wang Shuxian Liu Jia Li Peng Xiao |
| author_sort | Zhouhong Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – With the help of a quasi-natural experiment on Chinese policies, this study aims to understand the actual contribution of Smart City (SC) policies to the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in different cities. It also discusses the social and digital differences that such policies may generate, with a particular focus on the potential for exacerbating urban inequalities. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this, the study employs a principal component analysis (PCA) to develop an ICT development indicator system. It then employs a difference-in-differences (DID) model to analyze panel data from 209 Chinese cities over the period from 2007 to 2019, examining the impact of SC policies on ICT development across various urban settings. Findings – Our findings show that SC policies have significantly contributed to the enhancement of ICT development, especially in ICT usage. However, SC policies may inadvertently reinforce developmental disparities among cities. Compared to less developed areas, the benefits of SC policies are more pronounced in economically booming cities. This is likely due to the agglomeration of the ICT industry and the strong allure of developed urban centers for high-caliber talent. Originality/value – This study contributes to the related literature by explaining the role of SC policies in driving ICT development and by focusing on the often-overlooked impact of SC policies on urban inequality. These findings can provide guidance to policymakers on the need to recognize and address existing urban inequalities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa1c8f4acfc44ef7a7ea824c87b6e3e9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2755-0761 2755-077X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Transformation and Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa1c8f4acfc44ef7a7ea824c87b6e3e92025-08-20T02:12:49ZengEmerald PublishingDigital Transformation and Society2755-07612755-077X2025-05-014215317110.1108/DTS-05-2024-0071Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policyZhouhong Wang0Shuxian Liu1Jia Li2Peng Xiao3School of Information Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaFaculty of English, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKSchool of Information Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaSchool of Information Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaPurpose – With the help of a quasi-natural experiment on Chinese policies, this study aims to understand the actual contribution of Smart City (SC) policies to the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in different cities. It also discusses the social and digital differences that such policies may generate, with a particular focus on the potential for exacerbating urban inequalities. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this, the study employs a principal component analysis (PCA) to develop an ICT development indicator system. It then employs a difference-in-differences (DID) model to analyze panel data from 209 Chinese cities over the period from 2007 to 2019, examining the impact of SC policies on ICT development across various urban settings. Findings – Our findings show that SC policies have significantly contributed to the enhancement of ICT development, especially in ICT usage. However, SC policies may inadvertently reinforce developmental disparities among cities. Compared to less developed areas, the benefits of SC policies are more pronounced in economically booming cities. This is likely due to the agglomeration of the ICT industry and the strong allure of developed urban centers for high-caliber talent. Originality/value – This study contributes to the related literature by explaining the role of SC policies in driving ICT development and by focusing on the often-overlooked impact of SC policies on urban inequality. These findings can provide guidance to policymakers on the need to recognize and address existing urban inequalities.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DTS-05-2024-0071/full/pdfSmart cityICTDifference-in-differencesPrincipal component analysis |
| spellingShingle | Zhouhong Wang Shuxian Liu Jia Li Peng Xiao Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy Digital Transformation and Society Smart city ICT Difference-in-differences Principal component analysis |
| title | Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy |
| title_full | Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy |
| title_fullStr | Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy |
| title_short | Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy |
| title_sort | does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ict development insights from a quasi natural experiment based on chinese pilot policy |
| topic | Smart city ICT Difference-in-differences Principal component analysis |
| url | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DTS-05-2024-0071/full/pdf |
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