Does Industry Integration Improve the Competitiveness of China’s Electronic Information Industry?—Evidence from the Integration of the Electronic Information Industry and Financial Industry

As the pillar industry of China’s national economy, the electronic information industry plays an important role in social development and has increasingly become an important indicator of international competitiveness in the informatization age. We constructed a fusion evaluation model of the electronic information industry and financial industry in China, and used coupling theory to measure the integration degree of the two industries. Next, we empirically measure the impact of the industrial integration level on the competitiveness of the electronic information industry. According to the empirical test, we found that (1) the coupling degree ranged from 0.9 to 1 with minimal changes and that a strong coupling relationship existed between the electronic information industry and financial industry; (2) the coupling coordination degree ranged between 0.59 and 0.80, with a coordination level ranging from primary to intermediate coordination; and (3) the degree of industrial integration had a lagging positive impact on industrial competitiveness. Based on these results, we proposed policy recommendations to strengthen industrial integration and promote the international competitiveness of China’s electronic information industry for various aspects such as government services, technology upgrades, industry integration, and effective capital entry.