Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Ecological Total-Factor Energy Efficiency and Their Drivers in China at the Prefecture Level

Guangdong Li
Additional contact information
Guangdong Li: Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 11A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-23

Abstract: Improvement of ecological total-factor energy efficiency (ETFEE) is crucial for transformation of China’s economic growth pattern, energy conservation and emissions abatement. Here we combined the epsilon-based measure (EBM) and the Global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) productivity index to evaluate ETFEE and ecological total-factor energy productivity (ETFEP) and its decompositions for 283 prefecture-level cities in China between 2003 and 2013. A spatial econometric model is used to investigate factors influencing ETFEE and ETFEP. Results indicated that ETFEE, ETFEP and corresponding trends differ significantly depending on whether environmental constraints are considered. No convergence trend was found in ETFEE between prefecture-level cities. Technical progress plays the largest role in increasing ETFEP growth. Pure efficiency change and scale efficiency change, however, are the main hindering factors. Boosting cumulative technological progress, cumulative scale efficiency growth rate and cumulative pure efficiency growth rate are important means of increasing ETFEP. I also found that areas with high levels of economic development do not completely overlap with areas of high ETFEE. Surprisingly, the fiscal expenditure on scientific undertakings and technological spillover effects from foreign direct investment (FDI) have not substantially increased ETFEE. Whereas increased industrialization hinders the improvement of ETFEE. Furthermore, reducing per capita energy consumption help boost ETFEE. In addition, endowment advantages of factors of production have a positive overall effect on improving ETFEE. Lastly, important policy implications are inferred.

Keywords: ecological total-factor energy efficiency; ecological total-factor energy productivity; influencing factor; epsilon-based measure; spatial panel data model; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/18/3480/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/18/3480/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:18:p:3480-:d:268444

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().