Coupling between Carbon Efficiency and Technology Absorptive Capacity—A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Xiaoming Jiang, Chuiyong Zheng, Chao Liu and Wenjian Zhang
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Xiaoming Jiang: Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Chuiyong Zheng: Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Chao Liu: School of Public Administration, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Wenjian Zhang: School of Internet of Things Technology, Wuxi Institute of Technology, Wuxi 214121, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Regional carbon efficiency (CE) improvement is critical to China’s “taking concerted efforts to achieve ecological protection” strategy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and their program to build a leading demonstration belt for ecological civilization. This study applied the super efficiency slacks-based measure to calculate the regional differences and evolution characteristics of the YREB’s CE from the year of 2006 to 2017. It also constructed a coupling evaluation model to empirically analyze the interactions between CE and technology absorptive capacity (TAC). The results showed that (1) the CE for all YREB provinces followed a “U-shaped” trend. TAC generally increased and incrementally decreased in the sequence of the upper stream, middle stream, and downstream. The gap among the downstream, upper stream, and middle stream increased; (2) coupling between the CE and TAC for the YREB provinces can be characterized as a relatively stable medium to low coupling degree and medium-to-high coordination degree. To improve coupling and achieve balanced, sustainable development in the YREB, this study proposes several measures, including promoting balanced, high-quality economic development, building the YREB talent pool, appropriately guiding foreign capital flows, implementing the strategy of driving economic development through innovation, and launching the network for coordinated technological innovation in YREB.

Keywords: carbon efficiency; technology absorptive capacity; SE-SBM model; degree of coupling and coordination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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