Enhancing the resilience of regional digital innovation ecosystems: a pathway analysis from the lens of resource orchestration theory

Enhancing the resilience of regional digital innovation ecosystems represents an effective strategy for managing risky shocks and fostering sustainable regional development. This study investigates the regional digital innovation ecosystems in 30 provinces and cities across China. Grounded in resource orchestration theory, this research employs the fsQCA method to examine the configuration paths through which traditional and digital resources and capabilities contribute to the resilience of these ecosystems. By developing an evaluative framework for the resilience of regional digital innovation ecosystems, this study reveals a fluctuating upward trend in resilience across China’s regions, albeit with slow improvement rates and uneven development. The fsQCA identifies six configurational paths that bolster ecosystem resilience, categorized into two types: Technology Innovation-Digital Platforms and Financial-Physical Dominant. Furthermore, the paper highlights insufficient technological innovation capacity and imperfect digital governance as critical barriers to strengthening the resilience of regional digital innovation ecosystems. This research improves the evaluative framework for resilience in regional digital innovation ecosystems and extends the application of resource orchestration theory to the domain of resilience. The findings offer significant theoretical and practical insights into how regions can utilize both traditional and digital resources and capabilities to reinforce the resilience of their digital innovation ecosystems.