Impact of Energy-Biased Technological Progress on Inclusive Green Growth

Inclusive green growth is a sustainable development approach that pursues the coordination of economic growth, the ecological environment, and social equity, which is conducive to solving the problems of environmental pollution and unbalanced economic growth in the industrialization process. Based on provincial data from 2005 to 2020 in China, this study examines the impact of energy-biased technological progress on inclusive green growth and explores the mechanism of its effects from the perspective of industrial structure upgrading using a panel regression model and mediating effect model. The results show the following: (1) China’s technological progress is characterized by energy-biased technological progress and the level of inclusive green growth is gradually increasing. (2) Energy-biased technological progress can positively contribute to inclusive green growth and is heterogeneous over time and space. (3) Energy-biased technological progress can promote inclusive green growth through industrial structure advancement and industrial structure cleanliness, and the two mechanisms are complementary. This article considers the biased characteristics of technological progress and the impact of industrial structure cleanliness on inclusive green growth and provides a reference for developing countries to achieve inclusive green growth.