Towards inclusive green growth: Synergistic effects of digital infrastructure and energy transition policies in China

The transition from high growth to inclusive green growth is crucial. Digital infrastructure and energy transition are key policy instruments for inclusive green growth, but existing research focuses mainly on the impact of individual policies, policy synergy and underlying mechanisms insufficiently explored. We used panel data from 282 cities in China for the period 2010-2022 and applied the double machine learning approach to evaluate the synergistic impact of the broadband China strategy and new energy demonstration city policy on inclusive green growth. The results indicate that policy synergy significantly enhances inclusive green growth, outperforming individual policies. Mechanism analysis shows that these synergies are achieved by optimizing the economic structure, accelerating technological innovation and guaranteeing the quality of employment. In addition, the positive effects are particularly pronounced in non-resource-based cities, old industrial bases and developed cities. This study extends the theoretical framework of policy synergy in promoting inclusive green growth and provides empirical evidence to support collaborative governance in multi-policy environments.