Green Economic Efficiency and Coordinated Development in the Bohai Rim Region: Addressing Regional Disparities for Sustainable Innovation and Economic Transformation

Kun Xiao, Xiaolong Chen, Hongfeng Zhang () and Cora Un In Wong
Additional contact information
Kun Xiao: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China
Xiaolong Chen: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China
Hongfeng Zhang: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China
Cora Un In Wong: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: The Bohai Rim Region plays a crucial role in the economy of northern China. Historically, the area’s development has been driven by resource-intensive industries, necessitating urgent structural transformation. In response, the government has actively promoted a green economic model. This study evaluates the efficiency of green economic performance and total factor productivity (TFP) across five provinces in the region, incorporating regional innovation capabilities and green innovation outputs into the green economy input–output system. The results show that green economic efficiency (GEE) has improved across regions, with higher technological advancement leading to greater improvements in green TFP. Additionally, the economic disparity between provinces and municipalities has been decreasing. This study indicates that, while inter-provincial differences are widening, intra-regional disparities are narrowing. Meanwhile, this study provides a foundation for regional economic integration and policymaking in the Bohai Rim, offering insights into balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability.

Keywords: green economic efficiency; sustainability; green total factor productivity; Super-SBM model; global Malmquist–Luenberger model; Theil indicator analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/3/932/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/3/932/ (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:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:932-:d:1574798

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

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