Study on Rural Development Evaluation and Drivers of Sustainable Development: Evidence from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region of China

He Li, Hua He and Jian Zhang
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He Li: School of Science, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Hua He: School of Science, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Jian Zhang: School of Science, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: Rural areas are the basic units of social development and contain residents’ production and living activities, so understanding the nature of rural development has essential theoretical and practical significance. This paper first constructs a rural development evaluation index system, then analyzes the changes in the development level and development pattern of rural areas in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei from 2009 to 2020 in five aspects: prosperous industry, eco-friendly, civilized countryside, effective governance, and affluent living, and then further explore the changes in their comprehensive rural development level and development pattern. Finally, the main drivers of sustainable development in rural areas and their dynamic impacts are studied and analyzed using the boosted regression trees method. The research results show that: (1) from 2009 to 2020, all five aspects of rural development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei rural areas have progressed to different degrees, among which the development level of affluent living has progressed very significantly and is the primary driver of sustainable rural development in the region; (2) the development level of rural areas in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region has improved in general, but the development speed of major agricultural areas such as Baoding, Xingtai and Handan slower; (3) improving rural medical and health conditions, narrowing the urban–rural gap, and activating farmers’ vitality are the main ways to promote sustainable rural development. The results of the study help to gain an in-depth understanding of the rural development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and also have important reference significance for sustainable rural development in other countries or regions.

Keywords: rural development; sustainability; Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei; entropy method; boosted regression trees; drivers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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