Wei Shiwei, Pan Shuang, Gao Xirong, Xie Chenxin
Entrepreneurship is an important part of promoting inclusive growth. However, entrepreneurial activities are affected by agglomeration effects. Due to the high resource dependence of entrepreneurial activities, small and medium-sized cities face various constraints in obtaining entrepreneurial resources. Entrepreneurship theory generally holds that resources,opportunities, and costs are key factors that affect the success, failure, and quality of entrepreneurial activities. In the era of digital economy, the development of information technology and the application of digital technology have profoundly changed traditional entrepreneurial behavior and patterns, greatly expanding the information resource channels for entrepreneurs, enriching entrepreneurial opportunities, and enhancing their ability to cope with entrepreneurial risks. Therefore, the accelerated evolution of the information technology revolution and the iterative innovation of digital technology are constantly subverting entrepreneurial behavior and entrepreneurship model, making entrepreneurship one of the key drivers of Chinese path to modernization. This article starts from the perspective of siphon and diffusion effects between cities, and uses urban level data to explore the impact of network infrastructure on entrepreneurial activities.
Research has found that the construction of network infrastructure can significantly promote the activity of urban entrepreneurship. And in the dimension of distance from provincial capital cities, it presents an inverted U-shaped nonlinear feature, reflecting that network infrastructure can help small and medium-sized cities resist the siphon effect of central cities. In addition, the diffusion effect of network infrastructure helps to promote coordinated development between cities, with a more significant incentive effect on small and medium-sized cities as well as the central and western regions. Further research has found that optimizing the business environment, increasing economic agglomeration, and developing digital finance are important mechanisms and paths for the impact of network infrastructure on entrepreneurial activity. In addition, a favorable market environment and political stability are key external environmental factors for fully leveraging the promoting role of network infrastructure.
The construction of network infrastructure provides vast fertile ground for China to improve its overall entrepreneurial level and achieve high-quality and full employment. Therefore, the widespread application of network infrastructure can help small and medium-sized cities break through the barriers of time and space, obtain more abundant entrepreneurial resources,and is of great significance for achieving inclusive growth and stimulating the entrepreneurial vitality of the whole society.This article provides empirical evidence at the urban level for a deeper understanding of the impact of network infrastructure on urban entrepreneurial activity. The paper can also provide theoretical guidance and policy implications for how to promote regional coordinated development, digital transformation of the economy and society, and high-quality development in the context of the digital economy.