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• We construct a multidimensional poverty index for chinese counties. • We establish a staggered DID model that controls for selection bias. • Highways significantly reduce county poverty. • The poverty-reduction effect of highways is conditional. • The poverty-reduction effect of highways diminishes with increasing altitude. This paper establishes a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model to estimate the impact of highways on regional poverty using county-level panel data from China. We construct a multidimensional poverty index and use satellite-monitored night light brightness as a proxy indicator. The results demonstrate that highways significantly reduce county poverty and that the poverty reduction effect becomes increasingly pronounced over time. This result remains robust after controlling for non-random highway route selection. Furthermore, the poverty reduction effect of highways is conditional, with a significant poverty reduction effect in the less economically-developed western regions and non-municipal counties, and no significant poverty reduction effect in the economically-developed eastern and central regions and municipal districts. Moreover, the poverty reduction effect of highways gradually decreases as the average altitude of counties increases. Our tests provide empirical evidence for effective road investments in developing countries that incorporate poverty alleviation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically investigates the impact of technology adoption on farmers' subjective well-being, as measured by happiness and life satisfaction. A theoretical framework is constructed to link farmers' subjective well-being to technology adoption, with a particular emphasis on mechanization services in agricultural production. By fitting a nationally representative panel dataset – China Family Panel Studies – into an endogenous switching regression model that addresses potential selection bias, we find that technology adoption leads to a 0.194 standard deviation increase in happiness and a 0.065 standard deviation increase in life satisfaction. Further analysis reveals that the effect is more pronounced for individuals engaged in off-farm employment and varies across farm sizes. To underpin the causal effect, we test three plausible mechanisms – absolute income, relative income, and leisure – which are well-documented in the literature for their correlations with happiness and life satisfaction. Our empirical analysis indicates that the adoption of agricultural mechanization services indeed increases the absolute income of farmers and allows them to allocate more time to leisure activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livable environment and ways, as the necessary conditions for the elderly to enjoy their old age, have a significant impact on their mental health and happiness. It's crucial to understand how living arrangements affect depressive symptoms in China. Studies on how various leisure activities modify this association are yet limited. This study relies on panel data derived from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), collected during waves spanning 2008/2009, 2011/2012, 2014, and 2018. The primary objective is to examine the relationship between living arrangements, leisure activities, and depressive symptoms of elderly individuals. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the data. A total of 26,342 observations aged 65 and over were included in this paper. Older adults living alone (β = 0.66, 95 % CI: 0.55, 0.76) or living in institutions (β = 0.69, 95 % CI: 0.40, 0.98) had more depressive symptoms than those living with family. Leisure activities were negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β = −0.16, 95 % CI: −0.18, −0.15). Moreover, there was significant interactions between living arrangements and leisure activities. No matter which kind of living arrangements, participating in physical, productive or social activity was associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms. Study design might introduce bias, and it cannot establish causality between the tested variables. Older adults living alone or in institutions have more possibility to develop depressive symptoms than those living with family, and such a relationship among Chinese older adults can be moderated by participating in leisure activities. • Older adults living alone or in institutions had more depressive symptoms than those living with family. • Participation in leisure activities showed a negative association with depressive symptoms. • There were significant interactions between living arrangements and leisure activities. • Whatever the life arrangements, participating in leisure activities was related to a lower risk of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationship between industrial agglomeration and air pollution is explored. • The mediating effect of technological innovation on air pollution is explored. • The dynamic spatial panel Durbin model and mediation effect model is used. Based on the panel data of 277 prefecture-level cities in China, this paper empirically analyzes the relationship between industrial agglomeration and air pollution, and the mediating effect of technological innovation by using dynamic spatial panel Durbin model and mediation effect model. The results show that: (1) there is a typical N-shape curve relationship between industrial agglomeration and air pollution, that is, there is a moderate agglomeration interval in which industrial agglomeration can restrain air pollution. (2) Technological innovation is a mediator variable of industrial agglomeration affecting air pollution. Industrial agglomeration not only has a direct impact on air pollution, but also has an indirect impact on air pollution through technological innovation. The non-linear mediating effect is reflected in the typical U-shape curve relationship between technological innovation and air pollution. (3) Air pollution and technological innovation have strong time-space dependent effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses panel data on renewable energy in China. Thus, the current analysis fills the gaps by examining the relationship between green technology innovation and renewable energy and CO 2 emissions from 1990 to 2018. The current study examines all concerns connected to panel data analysis with advanced panel estimators, such as cross-sectional dependence, stationarity, variation in slope parameters, and structural break. Our findings show that test results reveal that green technology innovation and renewable energy have a negative and considerable influence on CO2 emissions in the long run. Moreover, the short-run relationship of green technology innovation, on the other hand, is not significant—as evidenced by the findings of robustness tests such as AMG and CCEMG. Other empirical results revealed that GTI, REN and NEN significantly reduced local CO 2 emission, while POP and PI had no obvious reduction effects on CO 2 emissions. Different GTIs had the same spatial "symbiotic effects" on CO 2 emission reduction in the short term, showing positive spatial spillover reduction effects. Lastly, we conclude that the use of green technology innovation has positive externalities. Some policies to assist green innovation technologies and renewable energy resources have been suggested for the Chinese government to enact. • This paper uses panel data on renewable energy in China. • The current study examines all concerns connected to panel data analysis with advanced panel estimators. • The short-run relationship of green technology innovation is not significant. • We conclude that the use of green technology innovation has positive externalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of digital technology has driven a huge change in the way payments are made. Based on the micro-data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this paper explores the relationship between mobile payment and carbon emissions from the consumption side. With the exogenous impact of Alipay's "Collecting Five Blessings" campaign, this paper finds that mobile payment significantly increases household consumption carbon emissions, but the marginal effect is gradually decreasing. Mechanism analysis shows that mobile payment mainly realizes the above impact through promoting the increase of consumption expenditure and upgrading of consumption structure. Further analysis indicates that carbon reduction policies introduced by the Chinese government in the personal consumption sector can mitigate the carbon emissions growth associated with mobile payments. Still, there is a need to strengthen policy measures further to effectively address the issue of rising carbon emissions from household consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyzes the impact of digital finance on green technology innovation. • Digital finance significantly promotes green technology innovation. • Manufacturing and non-state economic development help to better exploit the green technology innovation effect of digital finance. • As the level of environmental decentralization increases, digital finance strongly promotes green technology innovation. Financial development is an important driving force for promoting green technology innovation. However, traditional finance faces obstacles in supporting these innovations, and it is unclear how this dilemma can be solved. This paper seeks new solutions using digital finance to solve this dilemma. Using panel data on listed companies and cities in China, this paper analyzes the impact of digital finance on green technology innovation. The results show that (1) digital finance significantly promotes green technology innovation, and this finding holds even through serial robustness tests. The promotion effects are attributed to a reduction in corporate financing constraints, industrial structure upgrading and manufacturing development. (2) Digital financial development has a greater positive effect on green technology innovation in small-scale enterprises. Digital financial development can better promote green technology innovation in regions with higher pollutant emission intensity and where local government has stronger governance capacity. In addition, manufacturing and nonstate economic development help to better exploit the green technology innovation effect of digital finance. (3) With the improvement of environmental decentralization, digital finance strongly promotes green technology innovation, indicating that the downward trend of environmental responsibility will better alleviate the mismatch between the supply and demand of green innovation investments. In order to strengthen enterprises' green technology innovation capacity and solve serious environmental pollution problems, it is suggested that traditional financial institutions should actively embrace this digital trend. Meanwhile, government should develop differentiated innovation incentive policies to increase the technological innovation investment of manufacturing and private enterprises while also promoting the reform of the environmental decentralization system and strengthening supervision of central environmental protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of various daily air pollution indicators of 288 prefecture-level cities in China from January 1, 2015 to December 31,2018, this paper takes the first round of central environmental protection inspection (CEPI) as a quasi-natural experiment, and empirically analyzes its impact on urban air pollution by using multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) method. The results show that: (1) the first round of five batches of environmental inspection and two batches of "looking back" have significantly reduced the concentration of seven pollutants; (2) The first five batches of environmental inspection have a stronger impact on reducing air pollution than "looking back"; Moreover, in the short tel·in after the inspection, it still has a significant reduction effect on air pollution; (3) The impact of central environmental protection inspection on air pollution shows strong heterogeneity in different batches of inspections, urban scale and economic development level, as well as the air quality level of cities before the inspection. The research results of this paper provide corresponding policy recommendations and decision-making basis for the Chinese central government to further deepen the reform of environmental protection supervision mechanism and promote the emissions of multiple pollutants mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries have invested in transport infrastructure and public service in recent years to reduce rural poverty and income inequality. However, the effects of transport infrastructure on the residents with economic and educational disadvantages in rural areas are still under debate. In this paper, we investigate the impact of road infrastructure on the income of rural residents at the municipal level using data from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) from 2010 to 2018. By using the instrumental variable regression model, we found that rural residents' household incomes benefit from road infrastructure. Within income components, road infrastructure plays a role in improving rural residents' wage and business income. Further comparing different rural resident groups, we found that rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from improved road infrastructure in terms of their farming and business income from 2010 to 2018. In addition, in poverty-stricken areas, rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from road infrastructure in improving their farming and business income. However, the household incomes of rural residents with low formal education improve less as a result of road infrastructure. Policymakers should thus consider combining transport infrastructure provision with other policy packages, such as education program or skill training, to target different groups of rural residents in China. • Explaining the relationship between road infrastructure and rural residents' income. • Rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from improved road infrastructure. • In poverty-stricken areas, rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from road infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China still faces relatively serious energy poverty, and technological innovation is considered effective at alleviating this issue. This paper empirically investigates the impact of regional technological innovation on energy poverty based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2020. This paper explores the effect of industrial structure distortion in the process of technological innovation on energy poverty. This paper conducts asymmetry analysis and investigates the heterogeneous impact of technological innovation on energy poverty in different areas. The research conclusions are as follows: (1) Regional technological innovation can effectively alleviate energy poverty. (2) Industrial structure distortion moderates the impact of technological innovation on energy poverty, and it weakens the effect of technological innovation in alleviating energy poverty, although the moderating effect is not significant in coal-producing regions. (3) The effect of technological innovation on alleviating energy poverty is more obvious in regions where energy poverty is prominent. (4) The role of technological innovation in alleviating energy poverty shows spatial heterogeneity, and this alleviation effect is more obvious in the western and non-coal producing regions. We also propose several policy implications for alleviating energy poverty. • Regional technological innovation can effectively alleviate energy poverty. • Industrial structure distortion moderates the impact of technological innovation on energy poverty. • Industrial structure distortion hinders the ability of technological innovation to alleviate energy poverty. • Technological innovation is more effective in alleviating energy poverty in regions where energy poverty is severe. • Technological innovation is more effective at alleviating energy poverty in the west and non-coal-producing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urban green spaces have direct and indirect effects on improving residents' health. • The health benefits of urban green spaces exhibit regional heterogeneity. • Economic development weakens the health benefits of urban green spaces. • Environmental regulations can enhance the health benefits of urban green spaces. Urban green spaces have long been cherished as the "lungs of the city", it can not only improve air quality and enhance residents' health. The impact of urban green spaces on air pollution and residents' health has attracted great attention. In this paper, we select 31 provinces in China as research samples and use ArcGIS software to draw spatial distribution maps of urban green spaces, air pollution, and residents' health in China, characterizing their spatiotemporal changes in order to explore whether there is a correlation among the three. On this basis, this paper utilizes panel data of Chinese provincial-level from 2010 to 2020 and conducts empirical tests through a two-way fixed effect model and a threshold regression model. The research findings are as follows: (1) Urban green spaces not only bring environmental benefits, but also health benefits, and the health benefits are greater than the environmental benefits. (2) There is a health risk of air pollution in northern China, and the health benefits of urban green spaces are not significant. Conversely, there is no health risk of air pollution in southern China, and the health benefits of urban green spaces are significant. (3) Although environmental regulations can enhance the health benefits of urban green spaces, the role of environmental regulations in enhancing the health benefits of urban green spaces may be further weakened as the economy develops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the economic and environmental effects of railways have been well documented, most of these involve economically developed cities and rarely focus on poor and remote counties. Thus, the goal of this paper is to take county-level panel data covering the period 1997–2017 to explore the role of railway opening on carbon emissions in those state-level poverty-stricken (SPS) counties. Compared with SPS counties without opening of railway, those SPS counties with railway opening, especially high-speed railway opening, have achieved significant carbon reduction benefits. The intermediary mechanism reveals that railway opening brings a lot of carbon emissions by promoting economic growth, although they are offset by the low-carbon and environmental protection characteristics of the railway itself. Measures should be taken to avoid environmental damage associated with economic growth brought by railway opening while building and upgrading railway system in SPS counties. • The opening of railways in state-level poverty-stricken counties is regarded as a quasi-natural experiment. • Carbon emission reduction of ordinary-speed railway and high-speed railway is heterogeneous. • The opening of high-speed rail is more conducive to carbon emission reduction. • Emission reduction caused by the railway opening is partially offset by economic growth caused by it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how China's recent anti-corruption campaign affects poverty incidence. Employing five waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data, we find the (potential) poor households in counties that are more exposed to the anti-corruption campaign are associated with a significantly higher level of income and a consequently lower probability of being in poverty post-campaign. This finding survives a vast array of robustness checks based on alternative model specifications, measures of key variables, and sample selection criteria. We find supportive evidence for three plausible mechanisms behind the poverty-reducing effect of the anti-corruption campaign: improved access to transfer payment, reduced government expropriation, and enhanced formal credit support. However, no evidence indicates that the campaign has increased the provision of public goods. Additional analyses suggest that non-politically connected and low-income households benefit more. Overall, our study offers a novel perspective to shed light on the political economy of poverty alleviation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognized that electric vehicles (EVs) will play a crucial role in the electrification of transport, which is necessary for reaching a net-zero emissions economy. This recognition is reflected in the number of initiatives introduced worldwide to promote the EV industry, ranging from purchase subsidies to the provision of charging infrastructure and direct industry assistance. In this context, the Chinese government introduced a comprehensive program of government subsidies to support the sale of EVs. This paper estimates the impacts of these subsidies on EV sales in China using the difference-in-differences (DID) and propensity score matching (PSM) approach. Based on the panel data at city level from 2009 to 2018, we show that subsidies were the major contributor to the increase in EV sales. Our results suggest that the provision of infrastructure such as charging piles is also an important contributing factor. These findings are robust across model specifications and regression approaches. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the treatment effect is heterogeneous across EV types, city sizes and regions. Our results provide empirical support for the current policy settings designed to promote EV sales in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy plays a vital part in stimulating economic progress, and the shift towards a cleaner energy system is highly significant for ensuring the sustainable development of the economy. China's energy structure urgently needs to be transitioned. The fast advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) has provided a new and important tool for promoting the transition of energy structure. So, what is the relationship between the application of artificial intelligence and the transition of the energy structure? This research introduces artificial intelligence into the energy sector, focusing on the relationship between artificial intelligence and energy transition. Since nonlinear models are better able to study the complex effects and phase differences of artificial intelligence. Using China's provincial panel data spanning from 2006 to 2019, this study employs nonlinear modeling to explore the stage differences in the process of AI in facilitating energy structure transformation. This paper derives the following findings based on empirical research. First, there is a U-shaped relationship between artificial intelligence and the transition of energy structure. Specifically, before the inflection point, the initial application of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence may adversely impact energy transition. When the inflection point is passed, AI will help facilitate the energy transition. Second, the U-shaped relationship between AI and energy transition is more pronounced in coastal and non-resource-based regions. Third, energy intensity, government investment in science and technology, and informatization will moderate the U-shaped relationship between artificial intelligence and energy transition, changing the steepness of the original U-shaped relationship and even reversing it. Hence, it is imperative to effectively utilize the technological benefits of artificial intelligence through the development patterns and distinctive features of different regions, thereby facilitating the smooth transition of the energy structure. [Display omitted] • The role of artificial intelligence in the energy transition process is studied. • Stage differences in the role of AI are analyzed. • The nonlinear relationship between AI and energy transition is investigated. • Provide insights into the factors affecting the relationship between AI and energy transition. • This research helps the government to advance the energy structure transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of digital technology in structural change of three major industries has been widely recognized, but its influence on the internal cleanliness change of the industry has not been confirmed. Based on panel data of 36 industrial sub-sectors in China from 2002 to 2020, this paper discusses the mechanism of digital technology driving the cleanliness of industrial structure from a heterogeneity perspective. The theoretical model indicates that variations in output growth across different industries can be attributed to total factor productivity (TFP) and factor distortions, and the heterogeneous contribution of digital technology to TFP and factor distortions leads to the change of industrial structure. The empirical results show that digital technology can not only promote innovation-driven development by increasing total factor productivity, but also help factor-driven development by reducing factor distortion. Heterogeneity tests show that digital technology contributes to the cleanliness of industrial structure, and polluting industries are mainly driven by factors, while cleaning industries are mainly driven by innovation. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the application direction of digital technology in time to better empower innovative development and clean production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how green fiscal expenditure affects G reen T otal F actor E nergy E fficiency (GTFEE) from both non-spatial and spatial perspectives based on selected panel data of 254 cities in China. The results of the non-spatial panel model indicate that green fiscal expenditure has a significant positive impact on GTFEE. A comparative study of different econometric models shows that the main parts of the results are largely consistent, which indicates that the conclusions are robust. The spatial autocorrelation findings indicate a statistically significant presence of positive spatial spillover effects in the GTFEE of Chinese cities. Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) and Dynamic Spatial Durbin Model (DSDM) indicate that green fiscal expenditure has a similarly significant positive effect on GTFEE, which will increase over time. This paper considers different spatial weight matrices and changing measures to measure GTFEE, and the conclusions remain robust. Furthermore, industrial structure upgrading, and digital economy are vital in strengthening the relationship between local governments' green fiscal expenditure and GTFEE. According to heterogeneity analysis, green fiscal expenditure has a more significant effect on the GTFEE in mature resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities. • Influence factors of green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) is explored. • Green fiscal expenditure (GFE) has a significant positive impact on GTFEE. • Significant positive spatial spillover effects exist in the GTFEE of Chinese cities. • Industrial structure upgrading and digital economy are vital for GFE and GTFEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether renewable energy consumption is beneficial to reducing CO 2 emission intensity and carbon emissions in the context of the goal of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" in China. To prove this conjecture, considering the spatial spillover effect of carbon dioxide, this paper adopts the spatial Dubin model for empirical analysis based on the panel data of China's 30 provinces over the period 2002–2019. This study explores the CO 2 intensity mitigation effect of China's renewable energy consumption and further investigates the mediation role of technological innovation, industrial structure upgrading and optimization, and energy efficiency in the nexus between renewable energy consumption and carbon intensity. The main findings present that: (1) China's carbon emission intensity is characterized by significant spatial correlation; (2) Renewable energy consumption can significantly reduce carbon intensity and per capita carbon emissions; (3) The mediation effect of renewable energy consumption in reducing carbon emission intensity is to promote technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, as well as improve energy efficiency. Based on the conclusions, this paper offers several policy implications for governments to reduce CO 2 emission intensity. • The impact of renewable energy consumption on CO 2 emission intensity is explored. • Renewable energy consumption can reduce carbon emission intensity and per capita carbon emissions. • Renewable energy consumption reduces CO 2 intensity through the spatial mediation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the significance of China's Industrial Structure Rationalization (ISR) in reducing carbon emissions. To this end, this study uses panel data from 30 Chinese province from 2000 to 2019 to measure the Industrial Structure Rationalization of each province by calculating the Thiel index, base on which a nonlinear autoregressive lagged distribution (NARDL-PMG) model is established to explore the impacts of industrial structure rationalization on carbon emissions. The results show that: (1) There still exist significant regional differences between Eastern and Central-Western regions in industrial structure as illustrated by the ISR index. The industrial structure in Eastern region is more rational; (2) In the long run, the carbon emission in China will drop when the industrial structure becomes more rational; (3) However, in the short run, the carbon emission in China will increase when the industrial structure becomes more rational. Besides the findings above, the major difference between this paper and the extant researches is that this paper pays attention to the relationship between industrial structure rationalization and environmental quality by investigating the asymmetric influences of industrial structure rationalization index's positive and negative shocks on carbon emission, which lays solid foundations for government aiming to set more detailed policies. • Focus on the impact of rationalization of industrial structure on CO2 emissions. • Focused on the linear relationship between industrial structure and carbon emissions. • Attempts to analyze three regional pairs from the East, Central and West regions. • Provide a reference for developing countries to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of high-quality development, the e-commerce industry needs to seek more comprehensive development, and the logistics industry should not only maintain higher efficiency, but also meet the requirements of green and low-carbon transportation. This study aims to investigate the link between the logistic density and the proportion of e-commerce transaction scale. There are few studies on how logistics density affects the development of e-commerce quantitatively. In order to solve this gap, this study establishes an impact model of high-quality growth of e-commerce, and based on Solow production model, constructs a calculation method of logistics density, and analyzes the impact mechanism of logistics density on the scale ratio of e-commerce transactions. Using the bidirectional fixed effect model, this paper makes an empirical analysis of the panel data of 31 provinces consisting of 248 observations and autonomous regions in China from 2014 to 2020. The results show that logistic density has a positive and significant impact on the growth of e-commerce, thus promoting the optimization of economic structure. The acceleration of logistics density decreases the expansion of the ecommerce. Finally, there are obvious regional differences between the development of e-commerce and logistics infrastructure in China. Finally, based on the empirical result, this paper puts forward recommendations for government and companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart energy plays an important role in alleviating energy poverty in China in the context of the new technological revolution and industrial change. This paper uses China's smart pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, employing China's provincial panel data from 2011 to 2022, measuring energy poverty indices based on a projection pursuit evaluation model, and conducting a quasi-natural experiment using a synthetic control method to assess the effect of smart energy on energy poverty and specific mechanisms of action. The study found that smart energy has a specific and significant impact on energy poverty, but the effect differs in different regions depending on the construction cycle and energy endowment. In the mechanism test, smart energy significantly alleviates energy poverty through the mechanisms of improving energy supply capacity, improving energy payment capacity, and improving energy cleanliness. The results of the study provide empirical references for regional solutions to energy poverty and the planning of smart energy construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of three modes of transport infrastructure, namely high-speed rail, highway, and aviation on population density and economic growth in China using a fixed effects model based on a panel data of 2847 counties from 2008 to 2019. The results indicate that transport infrastructure can contribute to regional agglomeration and productivity enhancement, with high-speed rail having a distinct effect from the other two modes. High-speed rail has the most significant positive effect on population density while the other two modes aren't significant enough. Regarding per capita GDP, highway and aviation can both stimulate the development over different types of counties, while high-speed rail enhances the economic growth only in more developed regions. The findings highlight the need for a targeted planning strategy for regions with different development levels to harness the catalytic effect of transport on promoting reasonable distribution of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the spatial diffusion of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in China, assessing the effects of regional boundaries, including political and functional boundaries, and transaction costs on this process. We conduct an empirical analysis using county-level panel data from 2014 to 2020 and employ a combination of geographic information system (GIS) and spatial autoregressive models to analyze the spatial factors influencing PPP diffusion in China. Our findings reveal three key points: First, local governments' PPP investment positively correlates with neighboring regions, indicating a contagious effect. Second, the contagious effect is more significant within the same urban agglomeration, demonstrating a boundary effect and illustrating the impact of spatial rescaling on spatial diffusion. Third, the contagious effect is more pronounced for PPP sectors with lower output measurement difficulty, suggesting transaction costs influence spatial diffusion. These findings offer valuable insights into barriers to spatial diffusion and strategies to promote the spatial diffusion of innovation. • We explore the spatial diffusion of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in China. • We conduct an empirical analysis using county-level panel data from 2014 to 2020. • Results indicate a contagious effect in the spatial diffusion of PPP investment. • The contagious effect is more significant within the same urban agglomeration. • Transaction costs influence spatial diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordination of economic development and ecological conservation has emerged as a global trend for sustainable development. This paper utilizes the "Broadband China" policy as a quasi-natural experiment, employing panel data from 279 prefecture-level cities spanning from 2006 to 2019. By constructing a spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model, it examines the impact of digital infrastructure (DI) on industrial ecology (IE). The study finds that DI enhances both local and neighboring IE, with a spatial attenuation boundary of 600 km for IE impacts on neighboring cities. DI primarily facilitates the transformation of IE by promoting green technology innovation and expediting factor mobility. Heterogeneity analysis conducted using a spatial difference-in-difference-in-differences (SDDD) model reveals that DI has a greater impact on IE in resource-based cities, highly marketized regions, small-scale cities, and eastern regions. This research provides a novel perspective for exploring the transformation of IE theoretically and offers practical insights for leveraging digitization to promote IE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A composite index named GLCDES is developed to dynamically assess the level of Green Low-carbon Circular Development. • The combined-assignment VIKOR model based on game theory is developed to thoroughly estimate the construction level of GLCDES. • Southwest China's Green Low-carbon Circular Development Economic System construction level is examined from 2012 to 2021, showing how the long-side principle governs each region's value. • Selecting and strengthening the long side in combination with its reality is an effective way to improve the construction level of GLCDES. Emission peak and carbon neutrality are critical components of China's overall ecological civilization, and the establishment of a sound Green Low-carbon Circular Development Economic System (GLCDES) is a fundamental countermeasure for solving China's resource, environmental, and ecological problems. This paper used the new development concept as entry points to establish a comprehensive evaluation index system encompassing six subsystems: development dynamics, production and living systems, green benefits, low-carbon benefits, circularity benefits and socio-economic benefits. The combined-assignment VIKOR model, based on game theory, was used to thoroughly estimate the construction level of GLCDES by combining panel data from four southwestern provinces, including Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, from 2012 to 2021. The study discovered that: the construction level of GLCDES in all four southwestern provinces increased over the past ten years, but the increase was not significant, the four development effectiveness indices, including green, low-carbon, circularity and socio-economic, were significantly improved, the development dynamics index was not significantly enhanced, and the index of production and living systems declined in fluctuation from year to year. The construction level of GLCDES between regions was very uneven and can be divided into two echelons, with the gap between Chongqing and Guizhou being particularly obvious. Regions can be categorized into three major categories based on the number of dominant subsystems. According to the above results, the total value of the dynamic comprehensive evaluation of each region is governed by the principle of the long side, which is an effective way to improve the construction level of GLCDES by selecting and strengthening the long side in combination with its reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the constraints on urban land expansion, improving the efficiency of existing urban land becomes a key factor in promoting resource sustainability and environmental protection. This paper examines the impact mechanism and threshold effect of urban land use efficiency (ULUE) on resources and environment carrying capacity (RECC) using panel data covering 282 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2018. The empirical results show that: (1) ULUE enhances RECC in China, and the rationalization and advancement of industrial structure are important transmission mechanisms; (2) The impact of ULUE on RECC is heterogeneous, showing significant differences in different regions, periods, administrative levels, and resource endowments; (3) With industrial rationalization and industrial advancement as threshold variables, ULUE exhibits a "gradient-style" enhancement with significant threshold characteristics in improving RECC. These findings can provide practical guidance for various land policies. • Study the effect of urban land use efficiency on resources and environment carrying capacity. • The effective allocation and intense use of urban land can foster sustainable economic growth. • Urban land use efficiency enhances resources and environment carrying capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature studies how cognitive and noncognitive skills influence labor market outcomes. This paper examines the relationship between childhood cognitive and noncognitive skills and labor market outcomes, using a rich longitudinal data set from rural China to overcome simultaneity concerns. We find that childhood cognitive skills have strong explanatory power for the wages of adults in their late 20s, even after controlling for years of education. We also find gender differences in the returns to various noncognitive skills, including internalizing and externalizing behavior. Females are penalized for externalizing behavior while males are rewarded, suggesting the role of gender norms in the labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2019, this paper provides an empirical investigation of the mechanism and the impact of high-speed rails (HSRs) on urban economic resilience. The economic resilience evaluation has been constructed from three levels: risk resistance ability, organization and adjustment ability, as well as renewal and development ability. The difference-in-differences (DID) model and spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model are adopted to analyze the impact of the HSR service intensity on the urban economic resilience. Results imply that the HSR has significantly improved the urban economic resilience along the lines. Further analysis shows that HSR mainly increases the economic resilience through potential effect of human resources, dynamic effect of new economic sectors and vitality effect of innovation output. From a spatial spillover perspective, HSR not only improves the local economic resilience, but also improves that of neighboring cities. The spatial spillover effect of HSR conforms to the law of geographic distance attenuation with spillover coefficient changes. Moreover, the study documents a series of heterogeneity analysis concerning HSR effects across Chinese cities. Particularly, HSRs promote the development of talents, new economic sectors, as well as innovation output, and help resource-based cities unlock their over-reliance on resource industries, thereby improving their economic resilience. This paper introduces the concept of urban economic resilience into the analysis framework of HSR effect, and measures the geographical boundary and effective scope of the HSR's spillover effect. It provides a new lens for the sustainable development of transportation-regional social economy. • The determinants of urban economic resilience were analyzed from the HSR effect perspective. • This study explored the influence mechanism of HSR services on urban economic resilience. • The presence of HSR stations and the HSR service intensity both have important effects on urban economic resilience. • The HSR spillover effect is further estimated with the change of geographical distance and its effective influence scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China facing the challenge of coordinated development of "ecology, economy, and well-being". Scholars have conducted some research on the relationship between enviromental regulation and employment, but there is less research on the role of clean technology innovation in the employment effect of environmental regulation, which is the purpose of this paper. Using the panel data of 22 industrial sectors in China, the paper uses the number of clean technology patents to measure the level of clean technology innovation, and examines the moderating effect of clean technology innovation in the employment effect of environmental regulations. The results show that: (1) With the gradual improvement of environmental regulation, the impact of environmental regulation on employment presents the characteristics of inhibition first and then promotion. (2) Clean technology innovation has a moderating effect on the employment effect of environmental regulation. It should encourage the green upgrading of traditional technologies, support the development and optimization of private enterprises in various industries, so as to promote enterprises to effectively reduce pollution emissions and create jobs through green technology upgrading at the initial stage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The factors influencing residents health have become complex and intertwined with the development of economy and society. Traditional research with a single factor on health will not provide an accurate picture of the situation. This paper collects data on economic, environmental and social factors to estimate their impact on regional health. Considering the data is multi-source and complex, this paper proposes a combined feature importance algorithm, which weighted the feature importance of RF, XGB and SOIL. The algorithm does not depend on the data and adaptively approximates the true results. The results show that economic factors have a significant and direct impact on health, environmental factors have a lag correlation with health level, and social factors have a more complicated effect on health. Finally, we provide policy suggestions for health on economic, environmental, and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The co-agglomeration accentuates haze pollution. • Co-agglomeration has obvious spatial effects on haze pollution. • The pollution effect of co-agglomeration is weakened with the improvement of the economic level. • Technological innovation has an inhibitory effect on the pollution effect of co-agglomeration. The issue of haze in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration has significant implications for China. Concurrently, co-agglomeration and technological innovation are key factors influencing haze pollution. Using the panel data composed of PM2.5 concentration and other data from 27cities in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration between 2010 and 2020, this paper empirically investigates the impact of co-agglomeration and technological innovation on haze pollution. From this rigorous analysis, several conclusions crystallize: (1)the co-agglomeration of productive services and manufacturing accentuates haze pollution, showcasing notable regional variances;(2)the haze pollution has a significant positive correlation with the co-agglomeration levels in local and neighboring regions;(3)the negative consequences of co-agglomeration on environments reduce as the agglomeration of productive services and economic development increases;(4)technological innovation significantly moderates the pollution effects of co-agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies are a key driver of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. However, as the physical foundation supporting digital technology, how digital infrastructure affects carbon emissions is unclear. Based on the panel data from 2008 to 2019, this paper examines the impact of the Broadband China Policy on carbon emissions by adopting a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method. The empirical findings indicate that, first, digital infrastructure development plays a significant role in reducing carbon emissions in China. Second, the Broadband China Policy significantly reduces carbon emissions especially in China's low-carbon emission regions, high-level digitization regions, and non-resource-cursed regions. Third, the implementation of the Broadband China Policy facilitates carbon emissions reduction through the promotion of green technology progress, optimization of industrial structures, green transformation of residents' lifestyles, and electrification of energy mix. Finally, the Broadband China Policy has a positive spatial spillover effect on the carbon intensity in the surrounding regions of pilot cities, but it has no significant effect on the total carbon emissions and per capita carbon emissions in the surrounding regions. The results provide important insights for digital infrastructure construction to achieve a win-win situation for economic development and emission reduction. • It explores the impact of Broadband China Policy on carbon emissions reduction. • Digital infrastructure development has positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. • The reduction effect is heterogeneous in regions with different characteristics. • Carbon emissions can be reduced at both industrial and individual levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has shown that serious environmental incidents may act as trigger events to produce stronger regulatory enforcement in China. After a major pollution incident, Chinese authorities often impose severe penalties on polluters as a means to prevent future incidents and appease the public. In this paper, we examine how this increased regulatory stringency might affect firms' environmental performance. We select Level I (extremely serious) and Level II (serious) environmental incidents from 2009 to 2019 as trigger events. Using city-level panel data on environmental violations, we find a significant deterrent effect of the incidents on violations: in the period following an incident, the number of violations falls roughly by 8%–11%. The effect is primarily driven by the incidents caused by illegal discharge of toxic pollutants. Other incidents, such as production safety accidents or traffic accidents, do not exert significant effects on environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical challenges facing China is environmental pollution caused by insufficient use of clean energy. This paper empirically investigates the impact of rural labor mobility on household clean energy use using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The results indicate that labor mobility significantly promotes the adoption of clean energy by rural households, with income effects and information channel effects serving as the underlying mechanisms. The study also finds that health risks, as an important consideration for household energy use choices, enhance this positive effect. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis reveals that labor mobility has a greater impact on households with lower levels of education, lack of social security, and those located in central and western regions. Therefore, the government should take measures to increase the income of the rural migrant population and continuously widen the information channels for rural households to promote clean energy use. The findings of this study provide a new perspective and evidence for understanding household energy use behavior in China, offering valuable insights for policymakers aiming to expand the use of clean energy. • Labour mobility significantly contributes to clean energy use in rural households. • Income effects and information channel effects are the main mechanisms of action. • Health risks faced by households play a moderating role. • Heterogeneity in region, educational attainment, social security status will influence the effect of labour mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether grid upgrading in China, centered on building trans -regional transmission lines, can promote a low-carbon transition in the power sector is controversial. Since there is no precedent to follow, various countries are interested in learning from China's experience. This paper adopts a two-way fixed effects model based on panel data for 30 Chinese provinces from 2007 to 2019 to reveal the nonlinear relationship between grid upgrading and renewable energy generation. The research finds that: (1) A U-shaped relationship exists between grid upgrading and renewable energy generation, which is robust to a series of robustness checks. (2) When the ratio of transmission lines over Extra High Voltage (EHV) exceeds 0.152, grid upgrading has a scale effect in promoting renewable energy generation to achieve a low-carbon transition in the power sector. (3) Building the EHV grid has made a significant contribution to renewable energy generation, particularly in resource-intensive areas. Conversely, building Ultra High Voltage (UHV) grids has not observed such a positive impact. Finally, targeted policy recommendations are put forward for the low-carbon transition of China's power sector. • A U-shaped relationship exists between grid upgrading and renewable energy generation. • Scale effect occurs when trans -regional transmission lines' ratio exceeds 0.152 • Extra High Voltage has made a significant contribution to renewable energy generation. • Ultra High Voltage has not shown a significant impact on renewable energy generation. • The contribution of grid upgrading increases with the installed capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transferring energy-intensive industries to regions with abundant clean energy is crucial for achieving low-carbon transformation of energy-intensive sectors during carbon neutrality. By manually collecting the project data from energy-intensive enterprises in China, we construct a three-dimensional panel data with 1.86 million observations to empirically examines the impact of the carbon intensity constraint policy (CICP) on the transfer of high energy-intensive projects (HEP). Our findings indicate that the CICP accelerates the transfer of HEP. The transfer direction shows that the HEP transferred from the eastern region to the western region have increased, but the HEP transferred from the western region to the eastern region have not decreased. To explain the above phenomena, we further discuss the underlying mechanism from the perspective of energy structure and industrial agglomeration. From the standpoint of transfer-out regions, the higher the proportion of thermal power in the energy consumption structure, the more HEP will be transferred out. From the standpoint of transfer-in regions, the industrial agglomeration will attract the transfer of the HEP. However, we do not find evidence that wind power and photovoltaics can attract the HEP. This paper provides project-level empirical evidence for promoting the low-carbon transformation of energy-intensive industries. • The carbon intensity constraint accelerates the transfer of energy-intensive projects. • The dynamic effect shows a fluctuating and decreasing trend. • The transfer direction is the net transfer from the east to the west. • The more thermal power, the more energy-intensive projects will be transferred out. • We don't find the attraction of the clean energy for the energy-intensive projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital economy development (DED) empowers rural habitat (RH) improvement and promotes the construction of harmonious villages. Based on a panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of DED on RH and its endogenous mechanism in multiple dimensions using panel fixed effects model and spatial Durbin model. The results show that DED significantly improves RH, which remains robust after a series of robustness tests and dealing with endogeneity issues. The mechanism analysis shows that DED helps to bring into play the rural resource allocation effect, the innovation and entrepreneurship effect, and the carbon emission reduction effect, and improves the RH through these three effects. Further study finds that the digital application divide and regional divide are the main barriers to digital technology enabling RH improvement, there is a spatial spillover effect of DED, which helps to promote the improvement of RH in neighboring areas. The results of the study can provide theoretical support and decision-making reference for the construction of digital villages and the balanced regional development of RH in China. • Indicator system of digital economy and rural habitat was constructed. • Digital economy development significantly boosts rural habitat. • Resource allocation, rural entrepreneurship, and carbon reduction are effective transmission mechanisms. • Digital application divide has a heterogeneity impact. • The spatial spillover effect of the digital economy is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is actively advancing the integration of digital and real industrial economies, fostering a mutually beneficial cycle that could potentially drive new momentum for eco-friendly industrial development. The empowering effect of digital-real integration on industrial green transformation (IGT) requires urgent exploration. Based on China's industrial sector panel data from 2010 to 2020, this paper empirically investigates the relationship between digital-real integration and IGT and delves into its internal mechanism to verify the above hypothesis. Meanwhile, it analyzes the heterogeneous effects of digital-real integration on IGT, considering variations in industrial technology levels and the sources of such integration. The results demonstrate a positive impact of digital-real integration on IGT in China. The green technology and scale effects play pivotal roles in unleashing the green benefits of digital-real integration in the industrial sector. Notably, the contribution of digital-real integration to IGT varies across industrial subsectors with distinct technology levels. There is heterogeneity in the enabling effect of digital-real integration from different sources on IGT, and the integration of digital services and the real industrial economy has yet to achieve the expected green benefits. Our findings provide new scientific evidence for managers and policymakers in developing countries like China to promote industrial digitization and sustainable growth. This work informs the future discussion on digital-real integration topics from a global context. [Display omitted] • The degree of digital-real integration in China's industrial sector is estimated. • Digital-real integration significantly promotes industrial green transformation. • Digital-real integration acts as a driver through green technology and scale effects. • Digital-real integration from different sources varies in green empowerment effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the evident spatial disparity in China's energy consumption and economic development, achieving Pareto optimization of regional energy allocation efficiency proves to be a formidable challenge. Based on this, this paper ingeniously proposed an extended "labor-capital-energy-environment" resource mismatch mode, using 2004–2018 provincial panel data to measure and analyze the spatiotemporal pattern of China's energy mismatch and efficiency loss, while further investigating influencing factor. The results show that: (1) Although the degree of resource misallocation has decreased, the reduction of the number of provinces with excessive energy allocation and the serious shortage of energy allocation are the only effects of the optimization of energy resource misallocation, which has not significantly improved the situation overall. (2) Energy resource misallocation has grown to be a significant factor in China's losses in green total factor productivity (GTFP) brought on by resource misallocation. In addition, the extent of energy mismatch's loss in GTFP demonstrates the spatial heterogeneity of the "eastern > central > northeast > west" region. (3) Environmental regulation can significantly reduce energy mismatch and it is more successful at addressing the issue of excess energy than inadequate energy allocation. Also, the "rebound effect" of technological progress is the main factor aggravating the shortage of energy allocation. • We innovatively proposed an expanded "labor-capital-energy-environment" HK model to construct a theoretical framework for the impact of factor price distortions on GTFP. • The optimization of energy resource misallocation is only reflected in the serious shortage of energy allocation and the reduction of the number of provinces with excessive energy allocation. • The degree of GTFP loss of energy mismatch shows the regional heterogeneity of "eastern > central > northeast > west" spatially. • Environmental regulation can significantly improve the problems of energy mismatch and surplus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite ecotourism certification's efficacy as a potential environmental management tool for promoting sustainable development, the applicability of Western ecotourism certification patterns in China and the environmental effects of China's ecotourism certification remain unclear. Based on China's Prototype-zone of National Ecotourism Attractions (PNEA) certification, this paper aims to provide empirical evidence on the causal relationship between ecotourism and low-carbon sustainable development in relation to public environmental concerns. The multiperiod Difference-in-Differences (DID) model is set up to examine the supervision of PNEA certification on regional carbon emissions based on the panel data from 285 Chinese prefecture-level cities in 2011–2017. Results demonstrate that PNEA approval can reduce regional carbon emissions by 1.1% per capita, and this effect would increase over time. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the carbon emission reduction impact is significantly higher on midwestern cities, resource-dependent cities, and cities with net population inflow. Furthermore, the determinants of public environmental concerns, such as PNEA's functions of tourism economic development and environmental education, are crucial for low-carbon sustainable development. The findings quite clearly account for the contributions of ecotourism certification in promoting sustainable development and the benefits of effective policy instruments. • The PNEA certification implemented by China's central government is different from the Western ecotourism certifications. • The approval of China's unique ecotourism certification can reduce regional carbon emissions by 1.1% per capita. • The economic development function and environmental education function are key to promoting public environmental concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, China is experiencing rapid economic growth alongside increasing car ownership and its attendant challenges. However, little is known about the determinants of expenditure on car acquisition and household car ownership in China, especially their dynamics as this motorization process has taken place. In this paper, we present household car ownership and expenditure analyses using a unique panel dataset, the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS). We identify three clusters of households with distinct income and expenditure characteristics consistently existing from 2011 to 2017. We also demonstrate distinctive temporal patterns in expenditure in the periods prior to, at-time-of, and following car acquisition for car-purchasing households. We report that most, but not all, determinants we studied have been stable over time. Finally, contrary to contemporary findings in Western countries, being a younger-aged household is positively associated with car ownership, while living in rural areas has a negative association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the goal of "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" in China, it is significant to explore whether green finance contributes to carbon emission reduction. Therefore, based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020, this paper empirically examines the impact of green finance on carbon emissions and its mechanism using the FE model, GMM model, DID, and the mediating effect model. Results find that green finance can significantly promote carbon emissions reduction, and this promotion remains still after robustness tests. The heterogeneity analysis shows that green finance's carbon emission reduction effect is more significant in developed and western regions. Moreover, the results of policy intervention effects confirm that green finance reform and innovation pilot zones (GFRIs) for carbon emission reduction are more pronounced than in other regions. Finally, the mediating effects reveal that industrial structure and green innovation are the core transmission channels through which green finance influences carbon emission reduction. These findings offer meaningful implications for formulating reasonable carbon emission reduction plans and determining the future development direction of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing agricultural carbon emissions is an essential lever for mitigating climate change and promoting high-quality agricultural development. Environmental regulation in the form of resource agglomeration, represented by the high-standard farmland construction policy, plays a vital role in the emission reduction process. Using the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2001 to 2019 and taking the high-standard farmland construction policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper constructs a continuous differences-in-differences (DID) model to explore the impact and mechanism of environmental regulation in the form of resource agglomeration (RAER) on agricultural carbon emission reduction. The results show that RAER significantly reduces agricultural carbon emissions by an average of 3.9%. This conclusion still holds after robustness tests such as endogenous tests, eliminating policy interference, and sample reprocessing. This abatement utility is mainly realized through the technique effect of promoting green technology innovation and the composition effect of optimizing crop cultivation structure. Based on the resource attribute characteristics, the agricultural carbon emission reduction effects of RAER are, in descending order, capital and facility. Further study found heterogeneity in four aspects of the effect of RAER on agricultural carbon emission reduction: regional, planted crops, carbon emission sources, and carbon emission intensity. Therefore, decision-makers should deepen environmental regulation reform through resource agglomeration, implement adapting to local conditions for the high-standard farmland construction policy, and promote policy innovation and system optimization of agricultural carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in contributing to the realization of full employment in all countries around the world. By improving the efficiency of the flow of production factors, high-speed rail (HSR) has an important impact on regional economic development. However, little is known about whether HSR has improved urban entrepreneurial activity. This paper takes the opening of HSR as a quasi-natural experiment and constructs a difference-in-differences (DID) model, using panel data on 284 prefecture-level cities in China for the period from 2005 to 2019, to systematically evaluate the impact of HSR openings on urban entrepreneurial activity. We find that the opening of HSR has increased the urban entrepreneurial activity, and that this effect is more obvious in cities at high administrative levels, with locational advantages, and highly developed economies, including service industries. HSR can enhance urban entrepreneurial activity by improving the level of talent aggregation and venture capital. These findings provide fresh perspectives on the connection between HSR and urban entrepreneurial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Revisit the relationship between population and energy in the late stage of demographic dividend. • Consider the relationship between population and energy from the perspective of metabolism. • Measure metabolic efficiency by combining emergy analysis and the Index-DEA. • Explore the multi-scale response of metabolism to population quality. • Provide a reference for other developing countries with population and energy issues. China's population and carbon emissions will reach two peaks in 2030. Especially in the late stage of demographic dividend, it is necessary to revisit the relationship between population and energy. Metabolism is a critical perspective to help understand the population-energy relationship. This paper establishes a new paradigm for assessing the impact of population quality change on regional metabolism based on panel data from 2003 to 2019 in China. We measure the population quality index (PQI) using the Projection Pursuit method from four aspects and regional metabolic efficiency (RME) using emergy analysis and Index-DEA. Then, the Tobit model is used to explore the impact of population quality change on regional metabolism from a multi-scale perspective. The results show that the influence has some variability at different scales. From the total sample, the response of regional metabolism to population quality is significantly positive. For different PQI regions, the RME has a positive response to PQI in both, but this response is more obvious in advanced PQI regions. For regions in different locations, RME has positive response to PQI in both East and West, but there is no obvious response in the Central. These findings are closely related to global sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's economic growth is accompanied by air pollution, which has harmed public health. Former scholars have explored the influencing factors of public health from different perspectives with different methods, among which family income and environmental pollution are two important factors. The paper explored the combined effects of economic level and air pollution on public health at the micro and macro level using the multivariate ordered Logit model and panel data regression model. A comparative analysis was also explored between China's eastern and western regions. The results demonstrated that: (1) Both at the micro and macro level, economic level was positively correlated with public health, while air pollution was negatively correlated with it. (2) The improvement of the economic level made public health more susceptible to air pollution at the micro level and at the macro level. (3) The higher the economic level, the lower the effect of economic growth in reducing the adverse effects of air pollution on public health. This paper proposed that sustainable economic growth should be pursued, the emissions of air pollutants should be reduced, regional development should be balanced and the development gap between China's eastern and western regions should be narrowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2019, we took the opening of high-speed railways (HSRs) as the "quasi-natural test" and employed propensity score matching (PSM)-difference in difference (DID) method to empirically test the agglomeration effect of the opening of HSRs on the urban logistics industry and the heterogeneity of cities according to location types and urban grade classification. The results show that the opening of HSRs has an impact on the spatial layout of logistics industry by promoting urban economic growth and gathering labor. In the dynamic balance of agglomeration and diffusion, the logistics industry gradually spreads to the surrounding areas of the city through the opening of HSRs. The opening of HSRs has a heterogeneous impact on the agglomeration effect of urban logistics industry. For the rapidly developing first-tier, second-tier and third-tier cities, the opening of HSRs has a significant impact on the agglomeration of their logistics industry and promotes its diffusion to those surrounding cities. On this basis, this paper puts forward corresponding suggestions for the development of the logistics industry and tries to make full use of the development opportunity brought by the opening of HSRs to promote the development of the logistics industry. • The agglomeration effect of HSRs opening on logistics industry is tested by PSM-DID method. • The panel data of 280 prefecture-level cities in China is used in empirical research. • The heterogeneity is discussed according to the location and class of cities. • HSRs impact the agglomeration and diffusion of logistics industry greatly. • Implications are provided to develop the logistics industry and to make full use of the HSRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the balanced panel data of 260 prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2016, and the quasi-natural experiment of the Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI) project implemented in 110 prefecture-level cities in 2009, this paper uses the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model and the spatial Dubin model (SDM) model to investigate the FDI attraction effect of environmental information disclosure (EID). The results show that EID will significantly promote the inflow of FDI in cities, and this effect will be stronger with the increasing disclosure extent. EID has a siphon effect on FDI, that is, a city that has a better EID will attract more FDI than its neighbors, further intensifying the competition effect of FDI among cities with similar geographical distance, levels of economic development, and Internet penetration. The attraction effect of EID on FDI is mainly present in polluting cities and non-resource-based cities, while the impact on clean and resource-based cities is not significant. • We analyze the attraction effect of environmental information disclosure on FDI. • The effect of PITI project is evaluated with spatial-DID and SDM methods. • Environmental information disclosure has a siphon effect on FDI among cities. • The FDI attraction effect of disclosure extent is heterogeneous in city characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper finds a significant increase in agri-food firms' exports with the adoption of ISO 9001 quality certification. • We find that ISO 9001 quality certification promotes firms' exports by improving their innovation activities. • The positive effects are more significant for food (vs. non-food) manufacturing firms, non-SOEs (vs. SOEs) firms. • This study provides evidence and important implications for China's food and agricultural development strategy, which emphasises the transition from quantity expansion to quality enhancement. The adoption of ISO 9001 quality certification for agri-food products may promote China's relatively weak competitiveness in agri-food exports compared with industrial sectors. To explore this, we construct a panel data set of Chinese listed firms in agri-food sectors from 2000 to 2016 and use staggered Difference-in-Difference (DID) method to investigate the causal relationship between the adoption of ISO 9001 quality certification and agri-food exports. Three main findings are obtained in this study. First, we find that the adoption of ISO 9001 certification is positively associated with exports for agri-food listed firms. Second, we find that ISO 9001 certification promotes firms' exports by increasing their innovation activities. Third, the export effects are greater for food (vs. non-food) manufacturing firms and non-SOEs (vs. SOEs). Identification problems are addressed by utilizing randomly generated certification status, two-part fractional regression model, controlling and excluding other quality certifications, etc. This study provides important implications for China's food and agricultural development strategy, which emphasises the transition from quantity expansion to quality enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]