Abstract:  Based on the panel data of 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2022, the impact of data element flow environment suitability on regional economic growth and its mechanism are empirically tested. The research results indicate that, firstly, data element flow environment suitability has a significant positive impact on regional economic growth. Secondly, the upgrading of employment structure and industrial structure plays a significant mediating role between data element flow environment suitability and regional economic growth. Finally, further research has found that at the increasing quantile of regional economic growth, the impact of data element flow environment suitability on regional economic growth is continuously strengthening. The research results are expected to provide important support for theoretical research on data elements and policy-making for economic development in the future.

Key words: regional economic growth, data element flow, environmental suitability, employment structure, industrial structure upgrading