IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0295426.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial effect of carbon neutrality target on high-quality economic development—Channel analysis based on total factor productivity

Author

Listed:
  • Yiniu Cui
  • Cheng Zhong
  • Jianhong Cao
  • Mengyao Guo
  • Meng Zhang

Abstract

This study utilizes panel data from 30 provinces in mainland China from 2011 to 2020 to investigate the impact of carbon-neutral development on economic high-quality development by constructing an economic high-quality development index and a carbon-neutral development index. Firstly, the study examines the effects of carbon-neutral development on economic high-quality development using baseline regression and spatial Durbin regression. The results indicate that carbon-neutral development has a positive direct effect on economic high-quality growth, but there are negative spatial spillover effects. Secondly, this study employs total factor productivity (TFP) as an intermediate variable in the mediation model regression. The findings demonstrate that carbon-neutral development significantly improves TFP, and the significant improvement in TFP promotes high-quality economic growth. Lastly, the study conducts regional heterogeneity analysis and finds a significant promoting effect of carbon-neutral development on economic high-quality development in the eastern and central regions of China, while it is not significant in the western region. Therefore, it is recommended that China, in the process of achieving carbon-neutral growth, consider the geographical connections between different regions to prevent negative spillover effects. Additionally, regional heterogeneity should be taken into account when formulating relevant policies to promote economic high-quality development.

Suggested Citation

  • Yiniu Cui & Cheng Zhong & Jianhong Cao & Mengyao Guo & Meng Zhang, 2024. "Spatial effect of carbon neutrality target on high-quality economic development—Channel analysis based on total factor productivity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0295426
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295426
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295426
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295426&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0295426?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pan, Wenrong & Xie, Tao & Wang, Zhuwang & Ma, Lisha, 2022. "Digital economy: An innovation driver for total factor productivity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 303-311.
    2. Ryley, Tim & Baumeister, Stefan & Coulter, Liese, 2020. "Climate change influences on aviation: A literature review," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 55-64.
    3. Ming Chen & Hongbo Wang, 2022. "Import technology sophistication and high-quality economic development: evidence from city-level data of China," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 1106-1141, December.
    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. Li, Wenjuan & Liu, Xinghua & Zhou, Lei, 2025. "The role of digital finance in enhancing export competitiveness: insights from China's listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Holmes, Mark E. & Ryley, Tim & Ward, Aletha & Fein, Erich C. & Martin, Sophia, 2024. "Australasian aviation climate change hazards: A systematic review," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    3. Ran, Qiying & Yang, Xiaodong & Yan, Hongchuan & Xu, Yang & Cao, Jianhong, 2023. "Natural resource consumption and industrial green transformation: Does the digital economy matter?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Kun Wang & Bing Chen & Yuhong Li, 2024. "Technological, process or managerial innovation? How does digital transformation affect green innovation in industrial enterprises?," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 1-32, February.
    5. Tong Yang & Cui Zhang, 2025. "Taxation Business Environment Optimization and Enterprise Innovation Efficiency: Empirical Evidence from China’s Policy Tests," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-21, February.
    6. Hemmings, Peter & Mulheron, Michael & Murphy, Richard J. & Prescott, Matt, 2023. "Investigating the robustness of UK airport net zero plans," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Feng, Wei & Sun, Shujun & Yuan, Hang, 2023. "Research on the efficiency of factor allocation in the pilot free trade zones," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 727-745.
    8. Fu, Shuke & Ge, Yingchen & Hao, Yu & Peng, Jiachao & Tian, Jiali, 2024. "Energy supply chain efficiency in the digital era: Evidence from China's listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    9. Byung-Jik Kim & Julak Lee, 2024. "The mental health implications of artificial intelligence adoption: the crucial role of self-efficacy," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    10. Suresh Kamarapu & P. Sujendra Swami & Shakti Chaturvedi, 2023. "Impact of Home-based Teleworking During Pandemic on Telecommuters’ Organizational Commitment: Interaction of Gender and Family Status," Metamorphosis: A Journal of Management Research, , vol. 22(2), pages 121-132, December.
    11. Gong, Zheng & Gong, Liuji, 2024. "The financial geographic structure, Confucian culture, and corporate asset allocation efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    12. Wang, Weilong & Wang, Jianlong & Wu, Haitao, 2024. "The impact of energy-consuming rights trading on green total factor productivity in the context of digital economy: Evidence from listed firms in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    13. Cao, Lihong & Wang, Yueying & Yu, Jinyi & Zhang, Yikai & Yin, Xiaoye, 2024. "The impact of digital economy on low-carbon transition: What is the role of human capital?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    14. Zhao, Xiaoyang & Weng, Zongyuan, 2024. "Digital dividend or divide: The digital economy and urban entrepreneurial activity," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    15. Guoge Yang & Feng Deng & Yifei Wang & Xianhong Xiang, 2022. "Digital Paradox: Platform Economy and High-Quality Economic Development—New Evidence from Provincial Panel Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-26, February.
    16. Fang, Xubing & Liu, Maotao, 2024. "Regional judicial capacity and corporate total factor productivity: Evidence from the establishment of circuit courts," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 465-489.
    17. Zhiqiang Zhou & Wenyan Liu & Pengfei Cheng & Zhenjin Li, 2022. "The Impact of the Digital Economy on Enterprise Sustainable Development and Its Spatial-Temporal Evolution: An Empirical Analysis Based on Urban Panel Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
    18. He, Yu & Deng, Jiaxin & Zhang, Xiaoqi, 2024. "How does the technological finance cooperation pilot policy affect prefecture-level cities’ high quality economic development in China?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    19. Qiao, Penghua & Liu, Siting & Fung, Hung-Gay & Wang, Chen, 2024. "Corporate green innovation in a digital economy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 870-883.
    20. Suo, Xuekun & Zhang, Longting & Guo, Rong & Lin, Han & Yu, Mingchuan & Du, Xiuhong, 2024. "The inverted U-shaped association between digital economy and corporate total factor productivity: A knowledge-based perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).

    More about this item

    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:plo:pone00:0295426. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.