Provincial Coal Flow Efficiency of China Quantified by Three-Stage Data-Envelopment Analysis

Gaopeng Jiang (), Rui Jin, Cuijie Lu, Menglong Gao and Jie Li
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Gaopeng Jiang: School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243000, China
Rui Jin: School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243000, China
Cuijie Lu: School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China
Menglong Gao: School of Management Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243000, China
Jie Li: School of Public Administration, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010030, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: The exploration of regional variations in coal flow efficiency (CFE) in China and the collaborative strategies for emission reduction are vital for accelerating the progress of ecological civilization within the coal industry and achieving an optimal allocation of coal resources. To unveil the evolutionary traits of actual CFE and its decomposition, this study employs a current technology based on a combined super-efficient measure (SBM), global SBM, the stochastic frontier approach (SFA), and the global Malmquist–Luenberger index (GML) model on panel data from 2010 to 2021 across 30 provinces in China. The research conclusions are as follows. First, significant efficiency gaps are observed among provinces, showcasing superior performance in the north and east regions. Moreover, the impact of environmental factors and random disruptions on individual slack variables varies, resulting in a decrease of 0.18 and 0.43 in the CFE of source-area and sink-area when these factors are not taken into account. Thirdly, a clear distinction emerges between the technical efficiency change index (EC) and the best-practice gap change index (BPC). Lastly, the CFE displays regional disparities marked by an upward trajectory and fluctuating patterns resembling a “W” shape.

Keywords: coal flow pattern; low carbon-flow efficiency; region division; three-stage SBM model; GML index; energy use efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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