IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0312041.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decoupling analysis of economic development and human well-being: A case study of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

Author

Listed:
  • Weiguo Fan
  • Kehan Chen
  • Nan Chen
  • Meng Mengmeng
  • Xuechao Wang

Abstract

Clarifying the relationship between economic development and human well-being is conducive to promoting high-quality economic development. This study focused on 16 prefecture-level cities in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau region. The critic weighting method assessed the 2007–2018 human well-being index (HWI). The Tapio decoupling model allowed the study of the human well-being decoupling state. Finally, the drivers of decoupling between economic development and human well-being were analyzed using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index method. The results indicated that (1) almost all cities in the study region had an upward 2007–2018 HWI trend, but there were significant differences in growth magnitude and change trend. (2) Economic development and human well-being in the study region in 2007–2018 had expansion negative decoupling, thus, human well-being increased with economic growth, but not as fast as gross domestic product. 9 cities in 2007 showed weak decoupling, expansion connection, and expansion negative decoupling, increasing to 13 cities by 2018, indicating that human well-being development gradually improved from 2007 to 2018. (3) For most cities, the economic scale effect was the most influential factor in the decoupling of economic development and human well-being. Therefore, this study provided policy recommendations for decoupling economic development and human well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Weiguo Fan & Kehan Chen & Nan Chen & Meng Mengmeng & Xuechao Wang, 2024. "Decoupling analysis of economic development and human well-being: A case study of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(10), pages 1-17, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0312041
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312041
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0312041
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0312041&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0312041?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. Yingzhu Yang & Lexiang Zhao & Feng Cui, 2022. "How Does Public Health Investment Affect Subjective Well-Being? Empirical Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Banerjee, Onil & Cicowiez, Martin & Vargas, Renato & Obst, Carl & Cala, Javier Rojas & Alvarez-Espinosa, Andrés Camilo & Melo, Sioux & Riveros, Leidy & Romero, Germán & Meneses, Diego Sáenz, 2021. "Gross domestic product alone provides misleading policy guidance for post-conflict land use trajectories in Colombia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    3. Huasheng Zhu & Duer Su & Fei Yao, 2022. "Spatio-Temporal Differences in Economic Security of the Prefecture-Level Cities in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Region of China: Based on a Triple-Dimension Analytical Framework of Economic Geography," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-29, August.
    4. Nisreen Salti & Jad Chaaban & Alexandra Irani & Rima Al Mokdad, 2021. "A Multi-Dimensional Measure of Well-being among Youth: The Case of Palestinian Refugee Youth in Lebanon," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 1-34, February.
    5. Ang, B.W., 2015. "LMDI decomposition approach: A guide for implementation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 233-238.
    6. Rui Meng & Lirong Zhang & Hongkuan Zang & Shichao Jin, 2021. "Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Integrated Benefits of Photovoltaic Poverty Alleviation Technology in the Sanjiangyuan Region of Qinghai Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, November.
    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. Cai, Angzu & Wang, Leyi & Zhang, Yuhao & Wu, Haoran & Zhang, Huai & Guo, Ru & Wu, Jiang, 2025. "Uncovering the multiple socio-economic driving factors of carbon emissions in nine urban agglomerations of China based on machine learning," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    2. Zhu, Bangzhu & Su, Bin & Li, Yingzhu & Ng, Tsan Sheng, 2020. "Embodied energy and intensity in China’s (normal and processing) exports and their driving forces, 2005-2015," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Yan Li & Yigang Wei & Hanxiao Xu & Huanwen Liu & Julien Chevallier, 2023. "Carbon monoxide and multi‐pollutants flow between China and India: A multiregional input–output model," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(8), pages 2514-2537, August.
    4. Trotta, Gianluca, 2020. "Assessing energy efficiency improvements and related energy security and climate benefits in Finland: An ex post multi-sectoral decomposition analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Rivera-Niquepa, Juan David & De Oliveira-De Jesus, Paulo M. & Yusta, Jose M., 2025. "Trend-based multi-period decomposition and decoupling methodology for energy-related carbon dioxide emissions: A case study of Portugal," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Kristiana Dolge & Dagnija Blumberga, 2023. "Transitioning to Clean Energy: A Comprehensive Analysis of Renewable Electricity Generation in the EU-27," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-27, September.
    7. Wojciech Rabiega & Artur Gorzałczyński & Robert Jeszke & Paweł Mzyk & Krystian Szczepański, 2021. "How Long Will Combustion Vehicles Be Used? Polish Transport Sector on the Pathway to Climate Neutrality," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Fernández-Amador, Octavio & Francois, Joseph F. & Oberdabernig, Doris A. & Tomberger, Patrick, 2023. "Energy footprints and the international trade network: A new dataset. Is the European Union doing it better?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    9. Mohammed Ifkirne & Houssam El Bouhi & Siham Acharki & Quoc Bao Pham & Abdelouahed Farah & Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, 2022. "Multi-Criteria GIS-Based Analysis for Mapping Suitable Sites for Onshore Wind Farms in Southeast France," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-26, October.
    10. Baležentis, Tomas & Li, Tianxiang & Chen, Xueli, 2021. "Has agricultural labor restructuring improved agricultural labor productivity in China? A decomposition approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    11. Sun, Xiaoqi & Liu, Xiaojia, 2020. "Decomposition analysis of debt’s impact on China’s energy consumption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    12. Chen, Jiandong & Xu, Chong & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Song, Malin, 2021. "Interaction determinants and projections of China’s energy consumption: 1997–2030," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    13. Mousavi, Babak & Lopez, Neil Stephen A. & Biona, Jose Bienvenido Manuel & Chiu, Anthony S.F. & Blesl, Markus, 2017. "Driving forces of Iran's CO2 emissions from energy consumption: An LMDI decomposition approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 804-814.
    14. Isik, Mine & Ari, Izzet & Sarica, Kemal, 2021. "Challenges in the CO2 emissions of the Turkish power sector: Evidence from a two-level decomposition approach," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    15. Xiao, Hao & Sun, Ke-Juan & Bi, Hui-Min & Xue, Jin-Jun, 2019. "Changes in carbon intensity globally and in countries: Attribution and decomposition analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1492-1504.
    16. Zhang, Chenjun & Wu, Yusi & Yu, Yu, 2020. "Spatial decomposition analysis of water intensity in China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    17. Shigetomi, Yosuke & Matsumoto, Ken'ichi & Ogawa, Yuki & Shiraki, Hiroto & Yamamoto, Yuki & Ochi, Yuki & Ehara, Tomoki, 2018. "Driving forces underlying sub-national carbon dioxide emissions within the household sector and implications for the Paris Agreement targets in Japan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 2321-2332.
    18. Zou, Chenchen & Ma, Minda & Zhou, Nan & Feng, Wei & You, Kairui & Zhang, Shufan, 2023. "Toward carbon free by 2060: A decarbonization roadmap of operational residential buildings in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    19. Duan, Yuwan & Yan, Bingqian, 2019. "Economic gains and environmental losses from international trade: A decomposition of pollution intensity in China's value-added trade," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 540-554.
    20. Wu, Jianxin & Xu, Hui & Tang, Kai, 2021. "Industrial agglomeration, CO2 emissions and regional development programs: A decomposition analysis based on 286 Chinese cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(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:pone00:0312041. 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.