Does smart city pilot improve urban green economic efficiency: Accelerator or inhibitor

Improving urban green economic efficiency is a necessary response to environmental constraints and the transformation of economic development mode, and how to improve green economic efficiency through smart city pilot has become an important consideration. In this study, we construct the Date Envelopment Analysis-Slack Based Model to measure the green economic efficiency, and further evaluate the impacts of smart city on green economic efficiency using the propensity score matching-Differences-in-Differences (PSM-DID) model. The mainly results are as follows. The urban green economic efficiency can be improved by smart city pilot, and be improved by smart city through technology effect, structure effect and energy effect. Smart city with the dual attributes, information technology and environmental regulation, acts as a role of accelerator that both promote economic efficiency and environment, and thus accelerates the improvement of green economic efficiency. Smart city plays a significant role in cities with high level of talent aggregation and financial development, low level of population density, network infrastructure and urban expansion. The results of this paper provide the policy implications for the construction of smart city and sustainable development. •Smart city pilot can improve the urban green economic efficiency.•Smart city plays the role through the effects of technology, structure and energy.•Smart city is an accelerator both promotes economic efficiency and environment.•The effect of smart city varies across urban structure and characteristics.