An Empirical Investigation of the “Mezzogiorno Trap” in China’s Agricultural Economy: Insights from Data Envelopment Analysis (2015–2021)

Xiaotuan Li, Panfei Yang and Yuntao Zou ()
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Xiaotuan Li: School of Politics and Law, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
Panfei Yang: China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Testing Research Institute, Guangzhou 510610, China
Yuntao Zou: School of Computer of Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-30

Abstract: Reducing regional inequality is one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. However, a persistent regional disparity known as the “Mezzogiorno Trap” presents a significant challenge. The underdeveloped regions that fall into the “Mezzogiorno Trap”, even though they can narrow the gap with other regions through substantial support, see the disparity widen again when the level of assistance starts to decline. This paper proposes a methodology for identifying the “Mezzogiorno Trap”. By employing this approach and combining panel data on Chinese agriculture from 2015 to 2021, it is discovered that despite the overall development of the Chinese agricultural economy during this period, the “Mezzogiorno Trap” still exists. The paper analyzes the reasons behind the “Mezzogiorno Trap” in the Chinese agricultural economy and presents constructive recommendations based on the research findings. The research process demonstrates that this methodology is better suited for studying regional disparities in specific economic sectors, and the obtained results are more stable and reliable.

Keywords: regional disparity; productivity disparities; agriculture; economy; sustainability; DEA; meta-frontier model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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