ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Phys.
Sec. Social Physics
Digital Economy and Regional Economic Resilience: A Dual-test of Industrial Structure Mediation and Institutional Environment Moderation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ningbo University of Finance and Economics, Ningbo, China
- 2City University of Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
As a crucial driver of growth under the new development pattern, the digital economy requires in-depth examination regarding its role in enhancing regional economic resilience. Using China’s provincial panel data from 2011 to 2023, this study investigates the mechanisms through which the digital economy affects regional economic resilience by employing fixed-effects models, mediation tests, and interaction tests. The findings are as follows: First, the development of the digital economy significantly strengthens regional economic resilience, with particularly prominent performance in the dimensions of transformation and development capabilities. Second, this effect is transmitted through the dual mediating mechanisms of rationalization and upgrading of the industrial structure. Third, the positive effect of the digital economy displays a clear institutional dependence, and can materialize fully only when strong policy support and a high level of marketization coexist. Finally, the impact of the digital economy exhibits significant regional heterogeneity: the effect is most pronounced in the Central region, while it has not yet fully emerged in the western region. This research establishes a theoretical framework linking the digital economy, industrial structure, and economic resilience; reveals the mediating role of industrial structure optimization and the moderating role of institutional conditions; enriches the theoretical understanding of how the digital economy shapes economic resilience; and provides practical insights for fostering a new pattern of regional economic resilience.
Keywords: digital economy, Industrial structure, Institutional environment, Marketization level, Regional economic resilience
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 16 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qi, NASSAR WAKED, Yao and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Qi Wang
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.