Does national innovative city pilot policy promote green technology progress? Evidence from China

The construction of national innovation systems has been receiving increasing attention. The present study aims to examine whether national innovative city pilot policy (NICP) influences green technology progress. Using a sample of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2018, propensity score matching with difference-in-difference (PSM-DID) is used to empirically examine the effect of NICP on green technology progress. Our findings indicate that NICP can positively affect green technology progress. Green technology progress is promoted through NICP, specifically by innovation investment enhancement and innovation elements aggregation. Environmental regulation positively moderates the relation between NICP and green technology progress.