IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i11p5221-d1672874.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Study on the Intergenerational Distribution of Ecological Values of Cultivated Land: A Case of Lezhi County, China

Author

Listed:
  • Li Yuan

    (School of Agricultural and Forestry Economics and Management, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730101, China)

  • Xun Fan

    (School of Economics, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730101, China)

  • Jing Xu

    (Belt and Road Institute for Economic Research, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730020, China)

  • Haidong Wang

    (School of Statistics and Data Science, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730101, China)

Abstract

The ecological value of cultivated land carries clear intergenerational implications, requiring a fair allocation mechanism across the full life cycle to address market failures caused by intergenerational externalities. This study constructs an intergenerational allocation model of cultivated land ecological value based on the Diamond framework. The intra-generational consumption elasticity coefficient is derived using the Tapio decoupling theory, with the ratio of cultivated land quantity change to per capita net income change as the core indicator. Statistical data from Lezhi County (1984–2022) are used for empirical analysis. The fitted elasticity coefficient shows a steady decline and eventually converges to zero, indicating a weakening willingness of the current generation to consume ecological value, thus supporting the logic of preserving value for future generations. A simplified Pearl growth curve is then used to construct the development stage coefficient, representing the evolving realization of ecological value among future generations. Engel coefficient forecasts based on the GM(1,1) model enable year-by-year estimation of ecological value allocation to future generations. The results show that (1) the ecological value of cultivated land in Lezhi County is estimated at CNY 65,498,230/ha, (2) the proposed model effectively simulates intergenerational value allocation, (3) decoupling theory supports the hypothesis of equal intergenerational sharing, and (4) the development stage coefficient curve provides a dynamic perspective on long-term ecological value realization. This research offers a data-driven modeling approach that enhances both the fairness and the efficiency of land governance, contributing methodological support for sustainable cultivated land protection and ecological compensation policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Li Yuan & Xun Fan & Jing Xu & Haidong Wang, 2025. "A Study on the Intergenerational Distribution of Ecological Values of Cultivated Land: A Case of Lezhi County, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-30, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:11:p:5221-:d:1672874
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5221/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5221/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sumaila, Ussif R. & Walters, Carl, 2005. "Intergenerational discounting: a new intuitive approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 135-142, January.
    2. Guanghui Yu & Di Liu & Xiuying Liao & Ting Wang & Qianjin Tian & Yan Liao, 2017. "Quantitative Research on Regional Ecological Compensation from the Perspective of Carbon-Neutral: The Case of Hunan Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-12, June.
    3. Asheim, Geir B. & Buchholz, Wolfgang & Tungodden, Bertil, 2001. "Justifying Sustainability," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 252-268, May.
    4. repec:bla:scandj:v:81:y:1979:i:2:p:142-53 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Dickey, David A & Fuller, Wayne A, 1981. "Likelihood Ratio Statistics for Autoregressive Time Series with a Unit Root," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(4), pages 1057-1072, June.
    6. Shuxiang Li & Shuhua Ma, 2024. "A Quantitative Analysis on the Coordination of Regional Ecological and Economic Development Based on the Ecosystem Service Evaluation," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Zivot, Eric & Andrews, Donald W K, 2002. "Further Evidence on the Great Crash, the Oil-Price Shock, and the Unit-Root Hypothesis," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 20(1), pages 25-44, January.
    8. World Bank, 2022. "Global Economic Prospects, June 2022," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 37224.
    9. Hartwick, John M, 1977. "Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(5), pages 972-974, December.
    10. World Bank, 2022. "Global Economic Prospects, January 2022," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 36519.
    11. Peter Bohm, 1979. "Estimating willingness to pay: Why and how?," Framed Field Experiments 00127, The Field Experiments Website.
    12. Eunji Kim & Yoonhee Ha & Sangheon Kim, 2017. "Public Debt, Corruption and Sustainable Economic Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-30, March.
    13. Yuhan Zhao & Yongxun Zhang & Xiande Li & Chen Qian, 2022. "Assessment on Land-Water Resources Carrying Capacity of Countries in Central Asia from the Perspective of Self-Supplied Agricultural Products," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-19, February.
    14. Becker, Gary S & Tomes, Nigel, 1979. "An Equilibrium Theory of the Distribution of Income and Intergenerational Mobility," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1153-1189, December.
    15. Okeyo, A.I. & Mucheru-Muna, M. & Mugwe, J. & Ngetich, K.F. & Mugendi, D.N. & Diels, J. & Shisanya, C.A., 2014. "Effects of selected soil and water conservation technologies on nutrient losses and maize yields in the central highlands of Kenya," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 52-58.
    16. Mengba Liu & Anlu Zhang & Xiong Zhang & Yanfei Xiong, 2022. "Research on the Game Mechanism of Cultivated Land Ecological Compensation Standards Determination: Based on the Empirical Analysis of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-29, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ibrahim Ari & Muammer Koc, 2018. "Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development: Understanding the Interrelations between Public Investment and Sovereign Debt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Vincent Brémond & Emmanuel Hache & Tovonony Razafindrabe, 2016. "The Oil Price and Exchange Rate Relationship Revisited: A time-varying VAR parameter approach," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 13(1), pages 97-131, June.
    3. Shyh-Wei Chen, 2008. "Non-stationarity and Non-linearity in Stock Prices: Evidence from the OECD Countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 3(11), pages 1-11.
    4. Coşkun Akdeniz, 2021. "Construction of the Monetary Conditions Index with TVP-VAR Model: Empirical Evidence for Turkish Economy," Springer Books, in: Burcu Adıgüzel Mercangöz (ed.), Handbook of Research on Emerging Theories, Models, and Applications of Financial Econometrics, edition 1, pages 215-228, Springer.
    5. Onel, Gulcan & Utkulu, Utku, 2006. "Modeling the long-run sustainability of Turkish external debt with structural changes," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 669-682, July.
    6. Wilton Bernardino & João B. Amaral & Nelson L. Paes & Raydonal Ospina & José L. Távora, 2022. "A statistical investigation of a stock valuation model," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(8), pages 1-25, August.
    7. Kondoz, Mehmet & Kirikkaleli, Dervis & Athari, Seyed Alireza, 2021. "Time-frequency dependencies of financial and economic risks in South American countries," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 170-181.
    8. Philippe Andrade & Catherine Bruneau, 2002. "Excess returns, portfolio choices and exchange rate dynamics. The yen/dollar case, 1980–1998," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(3), pages 233-256, July.
    9. Mustafa Naimoğlu & Serkan Şahin & Sefa Özbek, 2025. "Governance, Corruption, Trade Openness, and Innovation: Key Drivers of Green Growth and Sustainable Development in Türkiye," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 4147-4162, June.
    10. Fredj Jawadi & Catherine Bruneau & Nadia Sghaier, 2009. "Nonlinear Cointegration Relationships Between Non‐Life Insurance Premiums and Financial Markets," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 76(3), pages 753-783, September.
    11. Arif Ullah & Kashif Raza & Muhammad Nadeem & Usman Mehmood & Ephraim Bonah Agyekum & Mohamed F. Elnaggar & Ebenezer Agbozo & Salah Kamel, 2022. "Does Globalization Cause Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Pakistan? A Promise to Enlighten the Value of Environmental Quality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-17, July.
    12. Nidhal Mgadmi & Houssem Rachdi & Hichem Saidi & Khaled Guesmi, 2019. "On the Instability of Tunisian Money Demand: Some Empirical Issues with Structural Breaks," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 17(1), pages 153-165, March.
    13. Ahmed, Khalid, 2015. "The sheer scale of China’s urban renewal and CO2 emissions: Multiple structural breaks, long-run relationship and short-run dynamics," MPRA Paper 71035, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Nezir Köse & Yunus Emre Gür & Emre Ünal, 2025. "Deep Learning and Machine Learning Insights Into the Global Economic Drivers of the Bitcoin Price," Journal of Forecasting, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(5), pages 1666-1698, August.
    15. Garg, Bhavesh & Prabheesh, K.P., 2021. "Testing the intertemporal sustainability of current account in the presence of endogenous structural breaks: Evidence from the top deficit countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 365-379.
    16. Martin T. Bohl & Alexander Pütz & Pierre L. Siklos & Christoph Sulewski, 2018. "Information Transmission under Increasing Political Tension – Evidence for the Berlin Produce Exchange 1887-1896," CQE Working Papers 7618, Center for Quantitative Economics (CQE), University of Muenster.
    17. Jafari Samimi, Ahmad & Ghaderi, Saman & Sanginabadi, Bahram, 2012. "The Effects of Openness and Globalization on Inflation: An ARDL Bounds Test Approach," MPRA Paper 52407, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Pao, Hsiao-Tien & Fu, Hsin-Chia, 2013. "The causal relationship between energy resources and economic growth in Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 793-801.
    19. Hondroyiannis, George & Lolos, Sarantis & Papapetrou, Evangelia, 2005. "Financial markets and economic growth in Greece, 1986-1999," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 173-188, April.
    20. Marques, António Cardoso & Fuinhas, José Alberto & Neves, Sónia Almeida, 2018. "Ordinary and Special Regimes of electricity generation in Spain: How they interact with economic activity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 1226-1240.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:11:p:5221-:d:1672874. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.