Impact of Industrial Robot Applications on Urban Export Quality

This research employs panel data from 281 cities in China, covering the years 2011 to 2021, to examine how the application of industrial robots affects the quality of exports in urban areas. It also explores the mechanisms and variations of this effect. Our study discovers that the application of industrial robots dramatically boosts the quality standards of local urban export products, with a stronger effect in urban agglomerations, central cities, and non-resource-based cities. As demonstrated through mechanism analysis, labor factor allocation efficiency is a critical mechanism by which industrial robots support urban export improvements in quality. Additional investigation demonstrates that streamlining industrial structure can amplify the favorable effect of deploying industrial robots on the quality of goods exported from cities. The research conclusion indicates that proposals are offered to further cultivate industrial robot applications, improve the labor market, and encourage industrial structure upgrade.