Science Research Management

Science Research Management ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (12): 90-99.DOI: 10.19571/j.cnki.1000-2995.2025.12.009

• 6561D43B-1C2 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A configurational study on the emergence of high-level county digital economy within digital ecosystems

Yu Weizhen1,5, Zhang Yan1, Liu Xiufen2,4, Wang Lu1,3   

  1. 1. School of Business, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China; 
    2. School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China; 
    3. School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China;
    4. Institute of Ecological Civilization, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China;
    5. Zhejiang Provincial Culture Research Institute for Grand Canal, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
  • Received:2024-05-27 Revised:2025-06-07 Accepted:2025-06-09 Online:2025-12-20 Published:2025-12-15

Abstract:   The digital economy is a key driver of high-level development in county-level economies, but the determining factors and emergent mechanisms of its development remain to be explored. Based on the configurational perspective, this study constructed a framework for analyzing the input and output of the digital ecosystem using configurational analysis. The QCA method was employed to analyze the complex causal relationships behind the emergence of a high-level digital economy in 90 districts, counties and cities in Zhejiang Province. The study found that individual digital ecosystem factors are neither necessary nor sufficient for the emergence of a high-level county digital economy. Industrial foundations are crucial for high-level industrial digitalization, while digital human resources are equally important for achieving digital industrialization. Besides, three emergent mechanisms and four types of digital ecosystems lead to high-level industrial digitalization, market element agglomeration type, market-driven logic government empowerment type (two digital ecosystems), and policy-driven talent core type, while two emergent mechanisms contribute to high-level industrial digitalization, namely, policy-guided market transformation and upgrading type and market resource optimization type. In addition, five types of digital ecosystems result in non-high-level digital economies. The findings will offer some significant theoretical guidance and practical insights for the layout and realization of high-level digital economy development in China. 

Key words: digital ecosystem, county digital economy, complex adaptive system, emergence mechanism, QCA method