Towards inclusive green growth: does digital government governance?–evidence from a quasi-natural experiment based on “internet plus government services”

“Inclusive” and “green” development models have gradually become key pathways for China to achieve high-quality development. Based on data from 271 Chinese cities spanning 2010–2023, this article employs a dual machine learning model to examine the impact of digital government governance on inclusive green growth and analyzes the moderating effect of governance resource endowments. The study finds that, first, digital government governance significantly promotes regional inclusive green growth. Second, in cities designated as environmental protection priorities, digital government governance significantly promotes inclusive green growth, whereas in non-priority cities, it has a suppressing effect, though this effect is not statistically significant; in non-resource-based cities, it has a significant promoting effect, but in resource-based cities, it has a significant suppressing effect; it has a significant promoting effect on both cities along the “Belt and Road” and those not along the route, but the effect is stronger in cities along the route. Third, the abundance of fiscal endowments, the density of digital talent endowments, and the intensity of digital attention endowments enhance the positive effects of digital government governance on inclusive green growth. Fourth, changes in officials and their educational backgrounds influence the moderating effects of governance resource endowments. This study provides a new perspective on China’s achievement of sustainable development goals in a global context.