The impact of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance: evidence from 218 prefecture-level cities in China

Different from the previous studies that mainly focus on the environmental and economic benefits of the total R&D, we specifically focus on the R&D activities in the energy field, namely, energy-saving R&D in this study, and explored the spatial impacts of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance and its internal transmission mechanisms for the first time. The heterogeneity analysis from the perspectives of different-types of R&D and different urban groups were also conducted. Results indicate that: Energy-saving R&D has obvious promoting effect on the improvement of urban carbon emission performance, among which the utility-type energy-saving R&D plays a more important role than the invention-type R&D. Energy-saving R&D promotes urban carbon performance mainly through the transmission mechanism of technical effects, while structural effect and urbanization effect negatively affects carbon emission performance due to the existence of energy rebound. Furthermore, there exists significant spatial spillover effects of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance, and economic factors play a more important role in this spatial effect. In addition, the impact of energy-saving R&D on carbon emission performance has obvious urban group heterogeneity. Finally, we proposed several policy suggestions based on the main conclusions of this study.