The pilot policy on public data openness, a crucial initiative for advancing digital governance and leveraging data as a key production factor, has received limited systematic research regarding its mechanisms for enhancing urban innovation. Based on panel data from 282 prefecture-level cities in China spanning 2005–2023, this study employs a staggered difference-in-differences model to empirically identify the causal impact of the policy on urban innovation and uncover its underlying pathways. Notably, public data openness significantly enhances urban innovation, primarily through three channels: stimulating investment, fostering entrepreneurial activity, and attracting talent. Regional heterogeneity is evident, driven by differences in economic openness, the development of new quality productive forces, digital infrastructure, and fiscal expenditure on science and technology. This study enriches the theoretical literature on the relationship between public data openness and urban innovation by clarifying the unique institutionalized role of data as a production factor within urban innovation systems. Moreover, it offers actionable theoretical and methodological insights for policy evaluation through innovative research design and identification strategies, which can help policymakers effectively assess the impact of public data openness on urban innovation outcomes.
Zhou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.