Can the launch of urban public data platforms empower enterprise digital transformation? An innovation ecosystem perspective

Amid the wave of the digital revolution, the openness of public data served as a crucial measure to advance the construction of Digital China and promote enterprise digital transformation. Based on data from A-share listed enterprises between 2007 and 2023, this study employed the quasi-natural experiment of local governments launching public data platforms. Using a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model and drawing on innovation ecosystem theory, the study explored the relationship between public data openness and enterprise digital transformation. The findings indicated that public data openness facilitated enterprise digital transformation, and this effect remained robust after various tests. The innovation ecosystem functioned as an important intermediary in this relationship. Specifically, public data openness promoted digital transformation by encouraging enterprises to increase innovation resource investment, optimise the innovation environment, and strengthen innovation collaboration. Further analysis revealed that absorptive and adaptive capacities reinforced the positive impact of public data openness on digital transformation, with the effect of absorptive capacity being more pronounced. Additionally, the promotion effect was stronger among non-state-owned enterprises and firms with lower operational efficiency. Public data openness was also found to promote digital transformation from multiple dimensions, with a greater effect on the transformation of underlying technological applications than on the application of digital technologies. Among these, cloud computing transformation benefited the most. Finally, the digital transformation driven by public data openness simultaneously enhanced enterprises’ economic performance and optimised their ESG ratings. The research findings contributed to a deeper understanding of the value creation role of public data openness in facilitating enterprise digital transformation.