Abstract:     Stimulating the new momentum of digital economy and cultivating the integrated innovation ecosystem of intelligent manufacturing are essential to accelerating the construction of a new pattern of coordinated regional development. Based on the panel data of 277 cities from 2011 to 2020, this paper employed the two-way fixed effects model, the moderation effects model and the spatial Durbin model to investigate the impacts of digital economy on the inclusive green growth of cities and its accompanying spatial effects. The results indicated that the development of digital economy exerts a significant positive influence on the inclusive green growth of cities, primarily manifested in the promotion of economic growth and the improvement of regional coordinated development. The mechanism analysis revealed that fiscal and technological expenditures, as well as industrial structure upgrading, have a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between digital economy and the inclusive green growth of cities. Further research suggested that the development of the digital economy not only enhances the inclusive green growth of the focal cities, but also fosters the inclusive green growth of neighbouring cities through spatial spillover effects. Simultaneously, the heterogeneity analysis demonstrated that the impact of digital economy on the inclusive green growth of cities exhibits significant differences across various quantile levels. As the level of inclusive green growth in cities increases, the promoting effect of digital economy becomes more pronounced. This study has unveiled the theoretical mechanism underlying the digital economy′s role in driving the inclusive green growth of cities, and will provide scientific evidence to support the promotion of high-quality regional development in China.

Key words: digital economy, regional coordination, inclusive green growth, spatial spillover effect