Spatio-Temporal Differentiation Mode and Threshold Effect of Yangtze River Delta Urban Ecological Well-Being Performance Based on Network DEA

Meijuan Hu, Suleman Sarwar and Zaijun Li
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Meijuan Hu: School of Tourism and Culinary Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Zaijun Li: Research Institute of Central Jiangsu Development, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: Improving ecological well-being performance (EWP) is the essential requirement of green transformation development and ecological civilization construction. With the help of a network DEA model and threshold panel regression model, this study evaluated urban ecological well-being performance to explore the evolution process, impact, and optimization path of urban ecological well-being performance in the Yangtze River Delta from 2001 to 2017. The findings are as follows: (1) The ecological well-being performance of all cities in the region had been steadily improving since 2001, most cities had realized the transformation from a low performance level to a higher performance level, and there was an obvious spatial mismatch between urban economic development level and ecological well-being performance. (2) A regional urban ecological well-being performance development mode was constantly optimized, sustainable urban development ability was improved, and the number of high-high (HH) mode cities was gradually increasing while the number of low-low (LL) mode cities was gradually decreasing. (3) Under the influence of threshold variables of population density, industrialization level, and environmental regulation, the impact of urbanization on ecological well-being performance had different threshold characteristics. Economic growth, industrialization, and government macro-control had significantly negative restraining effects, while consumption level, industrial structure upgrading, energy efficiency, and technological innovation had significantly positive driving effects.

Keywords: ecological well-being performance; network DEA model; spatio-temporal evolution; threshold effect; Yangtze River Delta (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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