This study investigates the impact of the “Broadband China” pilot policy on agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) from a new structural economics (NSE) perspective. Using panel data from 297 Chinese cities (2000–2024), we employ a spatial difference-in-differences (SDiD) approach. We find that the policy significantly enhances agricultural TFP by approximately 25.8 percentage points in treated cities. We identify international internet users as a novel partial mediator, explaining why domestic broadband gains depend on international connectivity. We also provide evidence of positive spatial spillovers: a 1% increase in neighboring cities’ digital economy is associated with a 0.292% increase in local agricultural TFP. Heterogeneity analysis reveals stronger policy effects in less-developed regions (Northwest China, low-GDP areas) and areas with higher scientific expenditure. By integrating institutional and spatial structures into the NSE framework, this study contributes a nuanced, endowment-contingent understanding of how state-led digital infrastructure investment reshapes agricultural efficiency.

The effects of religiosity on organizational behavior have become a topic of interest in the fields of management and religion. However, whether religiosity is associated with green-related innovation has not been explored, and the underlying economic channels remain unclear. This study addresses this gap by conceptualizing both regional religiosity and industry peer effects as distinct dimensions of informal institutions that jointly shape corporate green innovation. Using Chinese listed companies in 2020 as research subjects and employing a spatial econometric model, this study systematically tests these relationships. A positive link between religiosity and green-related innovation in firms is observed, and a positive peer effect on green innovation is also identified. To reveal the economic channel, the mediating role of business performance is tested. The results clearly indicate that business performance mediates the link between religiosity and green innovation in firms: regional religiosity fosters a pro-social business environment that enhances business performance, which in turn provides the resources necessary for green innovation. Furthermore, this association is shown to be heterogeneous, with the effect being pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises but muted in state-owned enterprises, where managerial atheism may offset religious norms. Evidence is provided by this study that religion, as an informal institution, is conducive to firms’ green innovation, and the understanding of the role of informal institutions in shaping corporate environmental strategy in transitional economies is deepened.

Gender ideology can affect household energy consumption; however, the existing literature has ignored this aspect. Using data from household surveys, this study employs econometric modeling to examine the impact of gender ideology on household cooking fuel choices and their underlying mechanisms. The results show that an emancipatory gender ideology can substantially promote adoption of clean cooking fuels by households. The results of the mechanistic analysis show that gender ideology encourages the adoption of clean cooking fuels through two pathways: increased internet use and exercise. Furthermore, the impact of gender ideology on households' choice of cooking fuel is moderated by income and the importance of internet, with neighborhood spillover effects and heterogeneity. The HOUSE model, developed by integrating households and neighbors, clarifies the complex relationship between gender ideology and household cooking fuel choice. This study provides meaningful theoretical and practical guidance for encouraging rural households to adopt cleaner cooking fuel.

Ensuring equitable access to healthcare services safeguards individual wellbeing and enhances society’s overall happiness. This study investigates the complex relationships between spatial hospital accessibility, spatial inequality, and urban wellbeing, focusing on the physical dimension of access measured by travel time. Using geospatial and economic data from 13,776 hospitals, this study reveals that inequality in hospital accessibility, as measured by the Gini coefficient, significantly and negatively impacts urban happiness. Additionally, the results reveal a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped relationship between hospital accessibility and city-level happiness, indicating an optimal threshold beyond which marginal benefits decline. Additionally, the results indicate a key mediating mechanism: unequal access drives population out-migration and reduces the permanent resident population. This outcome, in turn, partially transmits adverse effects to city-level wellbeing. These findings demonstrate substantial spatial and contextual heterogeneity, underscoring the need for policymakers to tailor urban health policies that prioritize enhancing accessibility and ensure equitable distribution to foster sustainable demographic stability and overall urban wellbeing.

Alumni relationships are essential social capital that are significant in companies’ resource acquisition and information sharing. Using 2018 data from Chinese listed companies, this study examines the impact of the chairperson–alumni network on corporate artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. The results show that chairperson–alumni relations are positively associated with AI adoption. Moreover, the impact of chairperson–alumni networks on AI adoption may span industrial, administrative, and geographical boundaries. This study shows that chairperson–alumni networks can indirectly influence AI adoption by influencing board size. Finally, this study demonstrates the heterogeneity of the impact of the chairperson–alumni network on AI adoption.