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Cross-Regional Comparative Study on Environmental–Economic Efficiency and Driving Forces behind Efficiency Improvement in China: A Multistage Perspective

Author

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  • Xionghe Qin

    (Institute for Global Innovation and Development, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Rd., Shanghai 200062, China
    School of Urban and Regional Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China)

  • Yanming Sun

    (Institute for Global Innovation and Development, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Rd., Shanghai 200062, China
    School of Urban and Regional Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
    Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China)

Abstract

Environmental–economic efficiency assessment is an effective way to evaluate the degree of coordination between an economy and the environment. Previous studies on environmental–economic efficiency have primarily investigated the efficiency of economic production and have often overlooked the efficiency of pollution treatment in overall economic activities. We applied a network data envelopment analysis model to evaluate the environmental–economic efficiency of a multistage process with undesirable outputs in 30 Chinese provinces during 2001–2017. The multistage process consisted of two sequential stages: economic production and pollution treatment. The results show that the average environmental–economic efficiency across all provinces was generally low but demonstrated a gradual upward trend during the study period. The spatial pattern for the 30 provinces showed that provinces with medium or high environmental–economic efficiency are mainly located in the eastern regions in China. Finally, few provinces exhibited economic activities with high economic production and pollution treatment efficiency, with most provinces generally having low economic production and pollution treatment efficiency. Hence, provinces with different economic production and pollution treatment efficiency modes should implement targeted improvement strategies according to their characteristics.

Suggested Citation

  • Xionghe Qin & Yanming Sun, 2019. "Cross-Regional Comparative Study on Environmental–Economic Efficiency and Driving Forces behind Efficiency Improvement in China: A Multistage Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:7:p:1160-:d:218689
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    2. Shijin Wang & Fan Tong, 2022. "Impact of Internet Development on Carbon Emissions in Jiangsu, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Guangdong Li, 2019. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Ecological Total-Factor Energy Efficiency and Their Drivers in China at the Prefecture Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.
    4. Weizhen Ren & Zilong Zhang & Yueju Wang & Bing Xue & Xingpeng Chen, 2020. "Measuring Regional Eco-Efficiency in China (2003–2016): A “Full World” Perspective and Network Data Envelopment Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-15, May.
    5. Min Li & Kaisheng Long, 2019. "Direct or Spillover Effect: The Impact of Pure Technical and Scale Efficiencies of Water Use on Water Scarcity in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-13, September.
    6. Yu Zhang & Wenliang Geng & Pengyan Zhang & Erling Li & Tianqi Rong & Ying Liu & Jingwen Shao & Hao Chang, 2020. "Dynamic Changes, Spatiotemporal Differences and Factors Influencing the Urban Eco-Efficiency in the Lower Reaches of the Yellow River," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Binkai Xu & Yanming Sun, 2023. "The Impact of Industrial Agglomeration on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency and Its Spatio-Temporal Pattern: Evidence from 283 Cities in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, April.

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