IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/natres/v50y2026i1p469-501.html

Industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and high‐quality development in rural China: From the perspective of spatial effect

Author

Listed:
  • Xu Ruifan
  • Hao Dequan
  • Ding Yun
  • Liu Wenxin

Abstract

Explore the interaction and spatial spillover effects between industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and high‐quality development of agriculture and rural areas, formulate appropriate industrial and environmental policies for different regions, guide the orderly agglomeration of agricultural sectors, and adjust the intensity of environmental regulation, which will help achieve high‐quality development. This manuscript firstly deconstructs the internal logic among industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and high‐quality development. Secondly, the Super‐SBM model is used to calculate the high‐quality development efficiency in rural China from 2000 to 2020. Finally, the Spatial Dubin Model (SDM) is used to analyze the spatial spillover effects and regional differences of industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and their integration impact on high‐quality development in rural China. The results show that: ① From 2000 to 2020, the high‐quality development efficiency shows a downward trend in fluctuation, and high‐quality development needs to be improved. ② There are significant regional differences in the effects of industrial agglomeration and environmental regulation on the high‐quality development efficiency. Industrial specialization agglomeration can effectively improve the high‐quality development efficiency, while industrial diversification agglomeration has uncertain effects. ③ The integration of environmental regulation and diversification agglomeration inhibits the high‐quality development efficiency, while the integration with specialization agglomeration has a stronger effect on improving high‐quality development efficiency. It is necessary to further enhance the effect of diversification agglomeration.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu Ruifan & Hao Dequan & Ding Yun & Liu Wenxin, 2026. "Industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and high‐quality development in rural China: From the perspective of spatial effect," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(1), pages 469-501, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:50:y:2026:i:1:p:469-501
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12581
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12581
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1477-8947.12581?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. Tone, Kaoru & Sahoo, Biresh K., 2003. "Scale, indivisibilities and production function in data envelopment analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 165-192, May.
    2. Wu, JunJie & Segerson, Kathleen & Wang, Chunhua, 2023. "Is environmental regulation the answer to pollution problems in urbanizing economies?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Virginia D. McConnell & Robert M. Schwab, 1990. "The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Industry Location Decisions: The Motor Vehicle Industry," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 66(1), pages 67-81.
    4. Kyriakopoulou, Efthymia & Xepapadeas, Anastasios, 2013. "Environmental policy, first nature advantage and the emergence of economic clusters," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 101-116.
    5. Yuan, Huaxi & Feng, Yidai & Lee, Chien-Chiang & Cen, Yan, 2020. "How does manufacturing agglomeration affect green economic efficiency?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Hao, Yu & Guo, Yunxia & Li, Suixin & Luo, Shiyue & Jiang, Xueting & Shen, Zhiyang & Wu, Haitao, 2022. "Towards achieving the sustainable development goal of industry: How does industrial agglomeration affect air pollution?," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 1(1).
    7. Shen, Neng & Peng, Hui, 2021. "Can industrial agglomeration achieve the emission-reduction effect?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    8. Li, Rongrong & Wang, Qiang & Li, Lejia & Hu, Sailan, 2023. "Do natural resource rent and corruption governance reshape the environmental Kuznets curve for ecological footprint? Evidence from 158 countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    9. Song, Yan & Zhu, Jing & Yue, Qian & Zhang, Ming & Wang, Longke, 2023. "Industrial agglomeration, technological innovation and air pollution: Empirical evidence from 277 prefecture-level cities in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 240-252.
    10. Gao, Zhiyuan & Zhao, Ying & Li, Lianqing & Hao, Yu, 2024. "Economic effects of sustainable energy technology progress under carbon reduction targets: An analysis based on a dynamic multi-regional CGE model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    11. Wang, Yafei & Bai, Ying & Quan, Tianshu & Ran, Rong & Hua, Lei, 2023. "Influence and effect of industrial agglomeration on urban green total factor productivity—On the regulatory role of innovation agglomeration and institutional distance," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1158-1173.
    12. Brülhart, Marius & Mathys, Nicole A., 2008. "Sectoral agglomeration economies in a panel of European regions," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 348-362, July.
    13. Barbera, Anthony J. & McConnell, Virginia D., 1990. "The impact of environmental regulations on industry productivity: Direct and indirect effects," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 50-65, January.
    14. Qiang Wang & Xiaowei Wang & Rongrong Li & Xueting Jiang, 2024. "Reinvestigating the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) of carbon emissions and ecological footprint in 147 countries: a matter of trade protectionism," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, December.
    15. Zaman, Shah & Zaman, Qamar uz & Zhang, Leilei & Wang, Zilong & Jehan, Noor, 2022. "Interaction between agricultural production, female employment, renewable energy, and environmental quality: Policy directions in context of developing economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 288-298.
    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. Song, Yan & Zhang, Hao & Zhang, Ming, 2026. "Environmental benefits of resource-based industrial agglomeration in the Yellow River basin: The perspective of proximity effect," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    2. Rendao Ye & Yue Qi & Wenyan Zhu, 2023. "Impact of Agricultural Industrial Agglomeration on Agricultural Environmental Efficiency in China: A Spatial Econometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Wang, Jianda & Guo, Dongsheng, 2023. "Siphon and radiation effects of ICT agglomeration on green total factor productivity: Evidence from a spatial Durbin model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    4. Guo, Shu & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2023. "Green credit policy and total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    5. Guo, Jiaqi & Wang, Qiang & Li, Rongrong, 2024. "Can official development assistance promote renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa countries? A matter of institutional transparency of recipient countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    6. Zhang, Dongyang & Bai, Dingchuan & He, Yurun & Sun, Qiaobing, 2024. "Synergistic abatement effects of Broadband China and environmental regulation: Firm-level evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    7. Themann, Michael & Koch, Nicolas, 2021. "Catching up and falling behind: Cross-country evidence on the impact of the EU ETS on firm productivity," Ruhr Economic Papers 904, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    8. Becker, Randy A., 2011. "Local environmental regulation and plant-level productivity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 2516-2522.
    9. Eduardo Sánchez-García & Javier Martínez-Falcó & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Lorena Ruiz-Fernández, 2025. "Regional Specialization as a Driver of Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity and Business Innovation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(6), pages 18443-18474, December.
    10. Cheng, Qi & Yang, Jun, 2024. "Is green place-based policy effective in mitigating pollution? Firm-level evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 530-547.
    11. Andrea L. Moore, 2017. "An examination of the influence of environmental justice policy, Executive Order 12898, on the spatial concentration of manufacturing facilities in EPA Region 6 1988-2009," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 7(3), pages 377-385, September.
    12. Hou, Xinshuo & He, Yan & Liu, Xin & Li, Dongyang & Zhang, Shijie, 2025. "Market segmentation and urban energy consumption: An analysis of threshold effects from an agglomeration perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    13. Wei Liu & Xu Yang & Jingxiao Zhang & Xiangli Wu & Luhe Wan, 2024. "The spatiotemporal evolution of the effect of industrial agglomeration on industrial green economic efficiency: empirical evidence from pollution-intensive industries in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 9945-9972, April.
    14. Xiuxiu Jiang & Xia Wang & Jia Ren & Zhimin Xie, 2023. "Digital economy, agglomeration, and entrepreneurship in Chinese cities," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 359-370, January.
    15. Zhang, Zeyi & Luo, Xuehua & Hu, Huiying & Du, Jiating & Xu, Baoliang, 2023. "Market integration and urban air quality: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 910-928.
    16. Jiawei Shangguan & Pingping Xiong & Zhexuan Ye & Jie Wang, 2025. "The Dynamic Relationships Among Green Technological Innovation, Government Policies, and the Low-Carbon Transformation of the Manufacturing Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: An Analysis Based on the PVAR Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-21, May.
    17. Shen, Weiteng & Yu, Xuan & Sun, Tong & Pan, Tiejun & Zhong, Shunbin, 2025. "The effects of internet infrastructure on carbon neutrality," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    18. Xu, Mengmeng & Tan, Ruipeng & He, Xinju, 2022. "How does economic agglomeration affect energy efficiency in China?: Evidence from endogenous stochastic frontier approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    19. Liu, Zuoming, 2020. "Unraveling the complex relationship between environmental and financial performance ─── A multilevel longitudinal analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 328-340.
    20. Peng, Youwei & Bai, Ruoshui & Guan, Yonghao, 2025. "Impact of green taxes and fees on corporate ESG performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 100(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:wly:natres:v:50:y:2026:i:1:p:469-501. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947 .

    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.