Influence of Different Industrial Agglomeration Modes on Eco-Efficiency in China

Abstract

It is a key issue for the Chinese government to improve eco-efficiency and realize green development. As a spatial organization mode of industrial labor division, industrial agglomeration has a complex impact on eco-efficiency. However, it is still debatable which industrial agglomeration modes have a positive impact on eco-efficiency. This paper employs a panel threshold model, enterprise micro-level data, and relevant economic environment data from 283 cities in China from 2004 to 2012. It tests the nonlinear effects of specialized, related diversified, and unrelated diversified agglomeration on industrial eco-efficiency. The results show that the impact of specialized and related diversified agglomeration on industrial eco-efficiency is first inhibited and then promoted. The unrelated diversified agglomeration has a significantly negative impact on industrial eco-efficiency, but the negative impact weakens when agglomeration reaches a certain level. Furthermore, the impact of the three agglomeration modes on industrial eco-efficiency depends on city size. The impact of specialized agglomeration on industrial eco-efficiency is insignificant in small- and some medium-sized cities, but it has a significant inhibitory effect on industrial eco-efficiency when the city surpasses medium size. The role of related diversified agglomeration in promoting industrial eco-efficiency is further enhanced with the growth of city size. The impact of unrelated diversified agglomeration on industrial eco-efficiency gradually changes from negative to positive, but it plays a promoting role only when the city reaches the scale of super-large and mega-cities. Finally, this paper suggests that policymakers should formulate differentiated agglomeration policies according to changes in industrial agglomeration level or city size to improve industrial eco-efficiency.

Study on the measurement of industrial eco-efficiency, spatial distribution and influencing factors in Yangtze River Economic Belt

“…promotes the industrial eco-efficiency, government regulation and control strength significantly enhances the industrial eco-efficiency of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, while factor endowment and foreign investment negatively inhibit the regional industrial eco-efficiency, which is in line with the actual development status of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, indicating that as the regional economic development level increases, the government and the public are more of the ecological environment This view is the same as that of Li (2021) [69], and in his research also concludes that industrial structure and foreign investment play a negative role in industrial eco-efficiency, which argues is because on the one hand, the increase in industrial structure means the increase in the proportion of regional polluting industries, which obviously reduces industrial eco-efficiency; on the other hand, China as a developing country, the more foreign investment, the more it causes scale and and structural effect [70], which results in pollution refuge effect; while Zhang (2022) [50] argues that the significant contribution of economic development level indicates that the Yangtze River Economic Belt pursues regional green development while maintaining economic growth, thus improving the energy saving and environmental protection technology and management in the production process, which provides the prerequisites for industrial eco-efficiency improvement.…”

The impact of high-tech industrial agglomeration on China’s green innovation efficiency: A spatial econometric analysis

“…However, as the degree of specialization increases, its contribution to green innovation efficiency gradually decreases, and excessive specialization may even inhibit the improvement of green innovation efficiency. Specialized clusters can lead to increased competition among firms, and firms in a cluster tend to form a single structural pool of knowledge and labour (Li X. H. et al, 2021). This limits the innovation spillover from the agglomeration to the exchange of Frontiers in Environmental Science frontiersin.org information and technology within the industry, which could form a closed system with industry spatial boundaries, leading to path dependence and technology locking in the industrial structure within the agglomeration, which is not conducive to R&D and innovation activities (Zhang W. X. et al, 2022).…”

The Economic Agglomeration Effects of the Industrial and Business Sectors in Pengerang Johor, Malaysia from a Spatial Perspective

“…The economic agglomeration effects of the industrial and business sectors have been a topic of significant interest among scholars and policymakers alike (Zhang et al, 2022;Li et al, 2021). It is believed that the concentration of these sectors in particular regions can generate positive externalities, leading to increased productivity and economic growth.…”