The Impact of Digital and Real Technological Integration on Corporate Green Collaborative Innovation

Accelerating green collaborative innovation is crucial to achieving environmental sustainability. Using panel data from Chinese A-share listed firms, this study theoretically and empirically investigates the causal association between digital and real technological integration and corporate green collaborative innovation. We reveal that digital and real technological integration significantly promotes corporate green collaborative innovation. Mechanism analysis indicates that digital and real technological integration promotes corporate green collaborative innovation by mitigating asset specificity, reducing green agency costs and broadening green knowledge breadth. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis shows that this positive effect of digital and real technological integration on corporate green collaborative innovation is more pronounced among firms with higher internal control quality, operating in high-tech industries, and located in eastern regions. This study not only deepens our understanding of the economic consequences of digital and real technological integration, but also provides crucial insights and evidence for exploring the antecedents of corporate green collaborative innovation.