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Does the Urban Agglomeration Policy Reduce Energy Intensity? Evidence from China

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Listed:
  • Rui Ding

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Tao Zhou

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Jian Yin

    (West China Modernization Research Center, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150050, China)

  • Yilin Zhang

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Siwei Shen

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Jun Fu

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Linyu Du

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Yiming Du

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

  • Shihui Chen

    (College of Big Data Application and Economics (Guiyang College of Big Data Finance), Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Guizhou Key Laboratory of Big Data Statistical Analysis, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
    Key Laboratory of Green Fintech, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China)

Abstract

With the expansion of the scale of China’s economy and the acceleration of urbanization, energy consumption is increasing, and environmental degradation and other problems have arisen. In order to solve such prominent problems, China proposed the “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral” targets in 2020. Although there are research conclusions about the impact of urbanization on energy intensity ( EI ), conclusions about the impact of the urban agglomeration policy ( UAP ) on EI are still unclear. Therefore, the article studies the impact of the urban agglomeration policy on EI in 279 prefecture-level cities by constructing a Difference-In-Differences (DID) model and mediating effect model. The results show that UAP has a significant effect on reducing EI , but their effects are different with the impact of urban heterogeneity, and the urban agglomeration policy of “Core” cities is less effective than those of “Edge” cities. From the perspective of the influencing mechanism, UAP takes green innovation capability as the intermediary variable to influence EI . The placebo test, PSM-DID regression, counterfactual test, and instrumental variable method all reflect the robustness of the research conclusions. Based on this, the paper puts forward some suggestions for urban agglomeration planning and green technology innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Rui Ding & Tao Zhou & Jian Yin & Yilin Zhang & Siwei Shen & Jun Fu & Linyu Du & Yiming Du & Shihui Chen, 2022. "Does the Urban Agglomeration Policy Reduce Energy Intensity? Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-20, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:22:p:14764-:d:968286
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