Can Green Economy and Ecological Welfare Achieve Synergistic Development? The Perspective of the “Two Mountains” Theory

Lindong Ma, Yuanxiao Hong and Xihui Chen
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Lindong Ma: School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Yuanxiao Hong: Xingzhi College, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
Xihui Chen: Business & Tourism Institute, Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College, Hangzhou 310000, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-24

Abstract: China’s high-speed economic growth and severe environmental problems have resulted in a poor Environmental Performance Index and have affected China’s sustainable development and ecological welfare improvement. Therefore, exploring whether there is a certain relationship between the two and their influencing factors is an important way and a breakthrough to solve the problems regarding green economic progress and ecological welfare enhancement. To this end, by using the undesirable slack-based measure (SBM) model, this paper measures the ecological welfare performance and the green economic efficiency of 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, China, from 2000 to 2019. Through the methods of spatiotemporal evolution, coefficient of variation, coupling coordination degree, and the Tobit model, we found that: (1) The development trend of urban green economic efficiency and ecological welfare performance were both in a “U” shape that first fell and then rose; (2) The coupling coordination degree between green economic efficiency and ecological welfare performance showed a wave-like upward trend as a whole and most cities have entered a more advanced coupling coordination stage during the study period. The coefficient of variation revealed a downward trend; (3) The urbanization level, industrial structure, and government investment can promote the regional coordinated development, while the industrialization degree and the opening level had a negative impact on it; (4) The “Two Mountains” theory was beneficial to the improvement of regional urban green economic efficiency and ecological welfare performance and their coordinated development both in theory and practice. Finally, according to the findings, we offer relevant suggestions on making good use of the country’s preferential policies and informatization means from the perspective of the regional coordinated development.

Keywords: green economic efficiency; ecological welfare performance; coupling coordination degree; Tobit model; “Two Mountains” theory; Zhejiang Province; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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