Digital Transformation and Industrial Chain Resilience: Evidence from China’s Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative Enterprises

Abstract

Enhancing industrial chain resilience is important for maintaining stable production and supporting sustainable industrial development amid increasing economic uncertainty. Using Chinese A-share listed Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative (SRDI) enterprises from 2012 to 2024 as the research sample, this study examines the impact of digital transformation on industrial chain resilience and its underlying mechanisms. The results reveal a significant N-shaped nonlinear relationship between digital transformation and industrial chain resilience. This finding remains robust after alternative variable measurements, sample adjustments, and tests addressing potential endogeneity. Mechanism analysis shows that the perception of economic policy uncertainty and total factor productivity constitute important channels through which digital transformation affects industrial chain resilience. Heterogeneity analysis further indicates that the nonlinear effect is more pronounced among SRDI “Little Giant” enterprises, firms in high-tech industries, and firms located in eastern China. The results suggest that the resilience effects of digital transformation vary with the level of digitalization and are shaped by the accumulation of firm capabilities and organizational adaptation. By examining SRDI enterprises, this study extends research on the relationship between digital transformation and industrial chain resilience and provides empirical evidence for differentiated digital transformation strategies and for strengthening industrial chain resilience as an important foundation for sustainable industrial development.