Research on the Coupling Coordination and Impact Mechanism between Digital Inclusive Finance and Regional Innovation Capability in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

This paper analyzes panel data from 2013 to 2022 covering 11 provinces and cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It establishes a holistic assessment framework for Digital Inclusive Finance (DIF) and Regional Innovation Capability (RIC), calculates RIC using the entropy method, and explores the coupling coordination degree between DIF and RIC using the coupling coordination model. In the end, the paper examines the influencing mechanism between the two variables using the Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR). The study reveals that from 2013 to 2022, DIF and RIC in the upper, central, and lower regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt exhibited steady growth, though with significant regional disparities and varying development rates. Most cities in this Belt are experiencing a steady ascending trajectory in the coupling coordination between DIF and RIC. However, most provinces are categorized within the range of poorly coordinated and primarily coordinated levels of coupling. The economic foundation, education level, information development level, and foreign trade level positively influence the coupling coordination between DIF and RIC, while the intensity of technological support and the level of industrial structure hinder their coupled coordinated development.