The integration of the real economy and the digital economy is a crucial driver for regional high-quality development and green transformation. Using panel data from 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) during 2006–2022, this study employs the patent co-classification method and super-efficiency SBM model to measure real-digital integration (RD) and green economic efficiency (GEE), empirically examining their relationship. The results show that: (1) RD levels across cities show an upward trend but with widening regional disparities exhibiting a Matthew Effect; GEE follows a spatial pattern of upstream > downstream > midstream. (2) RD is significantly associated with higher GEE. (3) This association operates through three channels: green finance development, green innovation capacity, and artificial intelligence applications. (4) The relationship is stronger in upstream and downstream cities, non-resource-based cities, post-2015, and service-oriented cities. These findings offer policy references for governments, enterprises, and financial institutions to advance green transformation through RD.
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Lei et al. (2026) studied this question.
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