IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ON ECONOMIC RESILIENCE OF URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

ZHANG Xue-bo, GENG Yu, KONG Yuan-yuan, HAN Jia-rong

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (5) : 43-54,192.

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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (5) : 43-54,192. DOI: 10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.05.005
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IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ON ECONOMIC RESILIENCE OF URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

  • ZHANG Xue-bo1,2, GENG Yu1, KONG Yuan-yuan1, HAN Jia-rong1
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Abstract

The digital economy is profoundly reshaping the economic structures of urban agglomerations and the intercity linkages within them. However, whether and how the digital economy influences the economic resilience of urban agglomerations remains to be empirically tested and analyzed. This study employs fixedeffects and mediation models to examine the impact of the digital economy on the economic resilience of urban agglomerations and to uncover the underlying mechanisms. The main findings are as follows: 1) The digital economy significantly enhances the economic resilience of urban agglomerations, with industrial digitization exerting a stronger effect than digital industrialization; 2) Mediation analysis indicates that the digital economy enhances economic resilience through three main channels: technological innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and the optimization of the spatial structure of urban agglomerations; 3) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the resilience-enhancing effect of the digital economy varies with the developmental stage of urban agglomerations, their initial level of economic resilience, and time. The effect is most pronounced in urban agglomerations undergoing optimization and upgrading, as well as those with moderate resilience levels. Moreover, the influence of the digital economy has intensified significantly since 2017. Urban agglomerations at different stages of development exhibit significant differences in the mechanisms through which the digital economy influences them.

Key words

digital economy / urban agglomeration / economic resilience / technological innovation / industrial structure upgrading

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ZHANG Xue-bo, GENG Yu, KONG Yuan-yuan, HAN Jia-rong. IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ON ECONOMIC RESILIENCE OF URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS[J]. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. 2026, 41(5): 43-54,192 https://doi.org/10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.05.005

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