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One hand cannot clap: Unlocking collaborative power in green governance for urban carbon reduction using super-efficiency network SBM and machine learning

Author

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  • Qiu, Ran
  • Wang, Linyu
  • Yu, Liying

Abstract

Green governance for urban carbon reduction is a complex and systemic process involving multifaceted interactions among actors and institutions. A key challenge lies in comprehensively evaluating collaborative performance within this context. This study addresses this by delineating the governance system into intra-city and inter-city subsystems, defined by governance type and spatial scale. This framework enables a more precise analysis of structural attributes and stakeholder dynamics. An “input–process–output” indicator framework is constructed, and the super-efficiency network slack-based measure (Super-NSBM) model is applied to assess the overall and subsystem performance. Additionally, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and shapley additive explanations (SHAP) models are used to identify key influencing factors and uncover their mechanisms of action. Empirical findings indicate that from 2014 to 2021, the collaborative performance in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) showed a weakening trend, with poor alignment and coordination among subsystems and governance nodes. Carbon-related environmental degradation (CFP) is found to be the most influential factor. Other significant variables include central government vertical intervention (CVI), urban economic development (UED), local government environmental regulation (GER), local government fiscal expenditure on carbon governance (FE), enterprise innovation (PAT), local government support for fintech (FTS), public environmental concern (PEC), and industrial pollution control investment by enterprises (INVE). While UED, GER, and FTS positively influence collaborative performance, factors such as CFP, CVI, and others mentioned above exhibit nonlinear “inhibiting–promoting” effects, indicating complex dynamics in shaping collaborative performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiu, Ran & Wang, Linyu & Yu, Liying, 2025. "One hand cannot clap: Unlocking collaborative power in green governance for urban carbon reduction using super-efficiency network SBM and machine learning," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1954-1982.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:88:y:2025:i:c:p:1954-1982
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2025.10.046
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